LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 



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Shelf ^ti3- 

UMTED STATES OP AMERICA. 



Familiar Instructions 



OF 




ev. vjether jyTc^uley 



Foundress op uhb Institute op the 

Religious Sisters op CQergy, 

Dublin, Ireland. 



EDITED BY THE 



SISTERS OF MERCY, ST. LOUIS, MO 



" If thou wilt incline thy ear, thou shaft receive 
instruction."— ECCL. Chap. VI.— 34. 



11 See ye that I have not labored for myself only, 
but for all that seek out the truth."— ECCL. 
Chap. XXIV.— 47. 



k»$$fr 



ST. LOUIS, MO.: 

EV. E. CARRERAS, PRINTER, PUBLISHER AND BINDER, 

117 and 119 Locust Street. 

1888. 



•y* i 



if 



V \ 



COPYRIGHT, i883, 
THE SISTERS OF MERCY, ST. LOUIS, MO, 



TO 



(fynt ^lessed fj>dtj of J^ency 

THE 

Beloved Advocate, the Principal Protectress, the 
Star of Hope of the Sisters of Mercy : 

THAT THE 

Holy Institute, Founded Under Her Invocation, 
May be Defended Against its Enemies ; 

AND THAT 

She May Obtain for Those Whom Her Divine Son has 
Made His Spouses, to Dispense His Mercies to 
Their Fellow- Creatures, the True 
Splrlt of Their Sublime 
Vocation, 
Are These Simple Instructions of THEm Revered 
Foundress, Most Humbly and Affec- 
tionately Dedicated. 



ACRDSTICi 

GQary, GQother of (Dercy. 



ARY, sweetest, holiest Name, 
^fter Jesus, earth can claim. 
Rarest melody, its sound 
fields, where heav'nly joys abound. 

gttother spotless ! Mother fair ! 
(!), let us thy virtues share. 
Shou art sinless, let us be 
genceforth undefiled, like thee. 
(£ver let our hearts, like thine, 
f^est in Jesus' Heart Divine. 

O'er us, Queen of Mercy, reign; 
jgaith, Hope, Love, for us obtain. 

^Horning Star! let thy soft ray, 
($ver light us on our way. 
Refuge, of the sinful, we 
dome, poor suppliants to thee, 
^earning for thy sympathy. 

Sm. JOSEPH'S d>ONYENJH OP &EI^GY} 

Sm. iiouis, fflo. 



EDITOR S P^EFAGE, 



CTHIS little volume may be considered as a sup- 
plement to the recent "Life of Catharine 
McAuley," as it portrays yet more fully the glow- 
ing fervor of her true and deep Religious spirit. 

While it is not doubted that any reader of 
these Instructions, would fail to be edified and 
enlightened, yet, as the edition appears for the 
first time in print, it is deemed well to give a 
brief account of the authenticity of the same, as 
well as to mention that some portions of chapters, 
also an occasional sentence, has been omitted, 
where it entered too much into detail; and in 
order to classify the subjects better, sections of 
different chapters have been placed under the one 
heading. Otherwise, no material alterations have 
been made, or in the least tend to affect the pur- 
port of the Instructions. 

These Precepts have been used in manuscript 
form in many of the convents in Ireland, but, in 
this country, a favored few only, have been in 
possession of the valued treasure. Among these 
is the Community in Rochester, N. Y., from whom 



vi EDITOR'S PREFACE. 

a copy was obtained some years since^ by the 
Sisters of Mercy in St. Louis, Mo. Hence, before 
bringing out this edition, the MS. in hand was 
duly examined and declared authentic, as Mother 
McAuley's spirit, that is the spirit of a Religious 
Sister of Mercy, is breathed in every line. More- 
over, one in the novitiate, Baggot Street Convent, 
Dublin, and who is at present a member of a 
Community of Sisters of Mercy in America, remem- 
bers having heard these same Instructions read 
from a manuscript for lecture in the novitiate, 
Baggot Street Convent, before she came on the 
mission to the United States. 

The editors have spared no pains to render 
these precepts of their Revered Foundress accept- 
able in every point to those who are so for- 
tunate as to obtain a copy, and sincerely trust 
that all within whose sphere they come, may not fail 
to appreciate and profit by the many beautiful, 
spiritual lessons, so simply and so lovingly offered 
by the " Saintly Foundress." 

ST. JOSEPH'S CONVENT OF MERCY, 
St. Louis, Mo. 



Feast of the Compassion of the B. V. Mary, 
23d of March, 1888. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I.— Of the Object of the Institute 

" II.— Of the Schools 

«« III.— Of the Visitation of the Sick 
" IV.— Of the Admission of Poor Women to the 
House of Mercy .... 

V.— Of the Vow of Holy Poverty . 
VI.— Of the Vow of Chastity .... 
VII.— Of the Vow of Obedience .... 
VIIL— Of the Office and Mental Prayer 
IX.— Of the Spiritual Exercises and Renewal 

of Vows 

X.— Of Confession and Communion 
" XI.— On Devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ, 
to the Blessed Sacrament, and to the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus 
" XII.— Of Devotion to the B. V. Mary 
" XIII.— Of the Perfection of Our Ordinary 

Actions .... 

" XIV.— Of the Employment of Time 

" XV.— Of Silence 

11 XVI.— Of Union and Charity . 

11 XVII.— Of Humility . 

" XVIII.— Fasts and Abstinence 

" XIX.— Of the Refectory 

" XX.— Of the Care of the Sick Sisters and 
frages for the Dead— Prayer 
On the Religious Life 
Maxims and Counsels .... 
Addendum 



SUF 



1 

8 
16 

23 
27 
32 
39 
47 

54 
60 



72 

83 

88 

94 

99 
106 

112 

121 

126 

129 
132 
135 
151 



UinptiwaktiZs : 



fQAI^GH 6JPH, 1888, 



UUfr ^Z^. ^VOta 



WW, 



Vicar- General, St. Louis. 



FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS 



OF 



FjEYE^END CQOTHEI^ CQcflULBY. 

o>o<^Oo<o 

CHAPTER I. 

OF THE OBJECT OF THE INSTITUTE. 

Wj S the principal end of our Institute, according 
to our holy Rule, is to attend particularly 
to our perfection, we should never relax in our 
efforts to attain sanctity. To us, in a special 
manner, does Jesus Christ, our Divine Spouse, 
address these words: " Be ye perfect," etc. He 
has reserved his choicest graces to facilitate for us 
the acquisition of this perfection, and such rewards 
hereafter, as it hath not entered the heart of man 
to conceive. 

Many motives should urge us to press forward 
in the path of sanctity : gratitude for the peculiar 
favor of our vocation ; the desire of accomplishing 
God's holy will, for this is the will of God — your 
sanctification ; the wish to promote His glory, 
because we are told that one fervent Religious 



2 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

draws more souls to God by prayer and good 
example than many tepid ones by long exhortations. 

Oh ! how cherished by the Heart of Jesus is 
the faithful Religious. One day our Lord appear- 
ing to St. Teresa, told her that one soul not a 
saint, but seeking perfection, was more precious 
to Him than thousands living ordinary lives. 

But, above all these motives, that which should 
most strongly excite us to labor for perfection is, 
that it is the first and chief end of the religious 
state. Why did God call us from the world? 
To unite us to Himself, that like the Apostles we 
might say, "we live no longer, but Jesus Christ 
lives in us." And how can we most speedily 
attain this end? By aiming at the perfection of 
our state. Our desires and pursuits after perfec- 
tion then, must be renewed day after day, hour 
after hour — we can never desist, for not to go 
forward in the way of perfection is to go back. 
We can never say, "it is enough," for the great- 
est saints give us this maxim: that we ought every 
day to consider we are commencing anew our 
advancement in perfection, and if we reflected 
well upon this, we w r ould not be surprised at find- 
ing much misery in ourselves, and something to 
retrench. St. Alphonsus says that the Spouse of 
Jesus Christ is called to religion, not only to be 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 3 

saved, but also to become a saint ; and the great 
St. Gregory admonishes that she who is called to 
sublime sanctity will not be saved without it. 

In order that we may have some definite object 
in view, let us understand well, in what perfection 
consists. St. Thomas tells us that it consists in a 
prompt and determined will to do at once and 
cheerfully whatever we know to be the will of 
God. Now, we have no difficulty in discovering 
this, for our Rules and Superior are to us the 
voice of God ; therefore, the chief means of arriv- 
ing at the summit of perfection is the exact and 
faithful observance of our holy Rule and vows. 
These are the most solemn and sacred obligations, 
and at the judgment seat of God they shall form 
the principal subject of examination in our regard. 
We should, then, frequently consider our failings 
against them, correct all that we see defective in 
our souls, and, according to the advice of the 
great St. Augustine, be always displeased with 
what we are, that we may become what we are not. 

To prove that for Religious all perfection is 
contained in their rules, we need only reflect on 
the progress made by a soul faithful to that portion 
on mental prayer. Alter applying to this holy 
exercise with all possible fervor, at the time 
appointed by obedience, reviewing therein the 



4 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

virtues she needs — her great poverty — and above 
all, after imploring grace to overcome herself, making 
frequent and efficacious resolutions to this intent, 
we perceive her faults disappearing, virtues begin- 
ning to flourish, and the spirit of Jesus animating 
her every thought and action. 

We should often pray and sigh for this perfec- 
tion, and have strong, ardent desires, for its attain- 
ment; not, however, the craving of some souls, 
who are ever expressing a desire to become saints, 
yet advance not a step in the way of God, but 
rather of those generous souls who daily and hourly 
conquer their evil inclinations, their self-love and 
self-will, in order to render themselves more and 
jnore pleasing to their Divine Spouse. 

Moreover, we ought sometimes reflect on the 
example of the saints, who, like us, had passions 
to contend with, but who were also faithful in 
overcoming themselves, and this will encourage us 
in the pursuit of virtue. 

The obstacles to our attaining the perfection 
of our holy state are : 

ist Obstacle. Dread of restraint and subjection. 
We are naturally fond of liberty : this often revives 
after its seeming death on our entrance into relig- 
ion. In the novitiate and in retreat we may 
say, and flatter ourselves, that we are not averse 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 5 

to religious dependence, restraint and subjection, 
but experience shows the contrary to be the case. 
Why are we so imperfectly submissive to God's 
appointments, to what we know happens by His 
decree? Why so impatient under direction, at our 
ill-success in surmounting certain imperfections and 
of acquiring virtue? Why not ever with our hearts 
and lips, in all simplicity, say, " God and our 
Superior ? " Why, in a word, so practically anx- 
ious to live free and unfettered — to speak, act, 
think, pray, only according to fancy and inclination? 

2d Obstacle. Forgetfulness of our high vocation 
and of many of its duties. Origen, speaking of vir- 
gins, calls them, " Temples of God — a consecrated, 
chosen race, sealed fountains, enclosed gardens. " 

St. Paul, to animate the Corinthians, reminds 
them thus : " Let us not degenerate ; we are called 
to the highest sanctity — to the imitation of Jesus 
Christ. ,, Did we remember this — that we should 
lead angelic lives — would we be so given to human 
respect, so susceptible of little vanities, so full of 
worldly motives ? Would we allow our eyes and 
tongue such liberty, or would we be anxious for com- 
forts, praise and honors, if we but remembered that 
we came to religion as to the school of humility? 

jd Obstacle. Dissipation, consequent on too 
readily indulging the senses, and want of reserve 



6 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

in our exterior deportment. This occasions little 
fears, anxieties, perplexities, hesitations, selfishness. 

4th Obstacle. False ideas of little faults, such 
as to speak idle words, to interrupt, contradict, 
indulge slight aversions, dwell on vain, unprofitable 
thoughts, etc. 

jtk Obstacle. Minding what the imperfect say 
and do, instead of taking for our models those 
who. are truly faithful to regular observance. 

The means of arriving at perfection we have 
already considered, hence it only remains for us 
now to begin the work; and if we do our part, 
we may be sure God will do His, by granting us 
such abundant helps as to enable us to run coura- 
geously in the odor of His ointments — that is, in 
the practice of those virtues which should adorn 
the religious soul, and to which we are strictly 
bound to tend by our solemn profession. 

It imports us now to discover in what rules we 
most frequently fail, so as to correct our negligence 
by future fidelity. But with all our efforts to 
become perfect we will sometimes be wanting. 
God frequently permits this to happen, to convince 
us of our weakness. What are we to do then ? 
We should humble ourselves before God, return 
to Him by a loving act of sorrow, and renew our 
good resolutions, dififiding more than ever in our- 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 7 

selves, and placing our entire confidence in God. 
If we fall ten times in the day, let us always have 
recourse to this practice, and our falls, instead of 
retarding us in the path of perfection, will rather 
become so many steps of advancement in humility, 
reliance on God, and many other great virtues. 

St. Jane de Chantal says: "The negligent 
Religious, who does not tend to perfection by 
exactly keeping all her Rule, is a true hypocrite 
— a phantom of a Religious.'' 

St. Francis de Sales remarks: "To be perfect 
in our vocation is nothing else than to fulfil the 
duties and offices which our condition and state of 
life oblige us to perform, that is, to accomplish 
them well, and only for the honor and love of God, 
referring them all to His glory." He who acts thus, 
may be said to be perfect in his state of life, and 
one according to the Heart of Jesus. 

St. Ignatius remarks : " Let not those whose 
nature is impetuous despair of obtaining perfec- 
tion, as if it was not for them. Let them rather 
take courage and practice self-restraint, and know 
that, in God's sight, one generous effort of theirs 
is of more value than many acts which others per- 
form without labor, being assisted by the mildness 
of their disposition." 



8 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER II. 



OF THE SCHOOLS. 



HO discharge well and profitably that important 
duty of our Institute, which obliges us to the 
instruction of poor girls, we must be intent on the 
virtues prescribed by our holy Rule, — assiduous and 
persevering in the practice of these, viz., charity, 
humility, purity of intention, and confidence in God. 
Supported by such exalted virtues, we shall aid 
in saving many amongst Christ's "little ones;" 
whilst without them we shall spoil and ruin all, 
and retard instead of promoting God's glory. 

Charity. — This must be our animating principle 
in undertaking the duty of instruction, since God's 
image is impressed on their souls which are washed 
in the Precious Blood of Christ. Let us imagine, 
then, that our Lord says to us : " Go, labor in My 
vineyard, preserve for Me these little reliquaries of 
baptismal innocence ; this is the service I require 
of you in My house." Let this command enkindle 
all our zeal; let us regard the valued charge con- 
fided to us as a priceless treasure, of which a strict 
account will one day be demanded. 

Now, charity not only requires that we instruct, 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 9 

but also that we should pity, encourage, and even 
reprove the children under our care, as they may 
require. We must be vigilant in their service, hav- 
ing a watchful eye over them, that we may form 
their minds and hearts to piety, and infuse into 
them a desire of pleasing God in all their actions. 

For the love of our Lord, we must try to bear 
patiently everything rude and disagreeable, remem- 
bering their precious souls — the price at which they 
have been redeemed. Oh ! with what ardor we 
should care for this portion of the flock of Jesus. 
What an esteem we should have for our sublime 
vocation ! 

Humility. — This is the second virtue specified as 
essential to the discharge of our duties in the 
school. We shall not fail to possess this disposition 
if we consider our utter worthlessness and total ina- 
bility to perform any good work of ourselves without 
the grace of the Almighty. God wonderfully assists 
the humble, and makes use of them for His greatest 
designs, as they never subtract from His glory, by 
attributing their success to themselves; but faith- 
fully refer all to Him. 

As the duty of instructing and saving, as it 
were, the souls of children — being a divine employ- 
ment, the same that engaged Jesus Christ on 
earth — it requires a great deal of humility; and the 



10 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

saints undertook this duty with a holy delight, 
regarding their young charges as the representa- 
tives of the Infant Jesus, and as such, esteemed 
themselves honored in being allowed to serve 
them. 

Oh ! what a happiness for us to be called to 
the same noble mission. What care we should 
take in all that regards the simple education of 
these little ones ! 

How patiently we should repeat, over and over 
again, the lessons of virtue we teach them in our 
instructions, as children could not be expected to 
retain what they hear but once. Again, how affec- 
tionately we should teach them to lisp the sacred 
names of Jesus and Mary — impressing on their ten- 
der souls the greatest love for God and for His 
Blessed Mother, with a dread of displeasing them 
by the least sin. 

Purity of Intention. — In the discharge of our 
duties, this virtue is indispensable, since, without 
it, if we performed miracles amongst the children, 
all would be without merit. 

With St. Ignatius, then, let our watchword be, 
" All for the greater glory of God." 

Our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, before and 
after school, should be made with the utmost fer- 
vor; for»if our intention be well directed, the 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. II 

peace of our mind and heart will remain undis- 
turbed, even when we do not succeed in our labors. 
We should remember that our merit does not 
depend on the fruit of our exertions, but on the 
purity of our intention, by which we are actuated. 

Confidence in God. — We must cultivate most 
assiduously this sweet virtue — for with it, we shall 
effect much good among Christ's " little ones" 

Let us listen to St. Philip Neri, who tells us 
that if we throw ourselves into the arms of God 
(we may be sure), He will qualify us for all He 
desires us to do for Him. Why should we not 
then undertake the duties imposed on us by holy 
obedience, with great courage, for infinite is^the 
love God bears to souls who repose in His pro- 
tection, and whilst humility makes them diffide 
in their own lights and experience, so as to expect 
nothing from their feeble efforts, the virtue of con- 
fidence causes them to hope for everything from 
the divine Goodness. After specifying the virtues 
we should bring to the discharge of our school 
duties, our holy Rule reminds us of the glorious 
recompense attached to their faithful discharge. 
We may feel confident that Jesus Christ keeps an 
exact account of all we do for His poor, that He 
listens to every word we speak to them, to recom- 
pense each with God-like liberality. This should 



12 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

encourage us to love this duty, and to devote our- 
selves unreservedly to the acquisition of everything 
that would fit us for its fulfilment. It will lead 
us to undergo, with sweetness, all the labor and 
fatigue attendant on the care and instruction of 
children, and it will animate us with a burning 
zeal for their advancement in every virtue. 

The second section of this Rule points out one 
of the chief means we have to discharge our 
school duties well, viz., prayer to God and the 
Queen of Heaven. We fulfil this point by the 
visit we make to the Blessed Sacrament, before 
and after attending the school ; but, besides this, 
we ought to pray for our young charges at other 
times, and beseech our Lord to preserve them in 
their first innocence. 

When instructing the children, we should be 
careful to inspire them with devotion to the Passion 
of Jesus Christ, to His real Presence in the Most 
Holy Sacrament, to the Immaculate Mother of 
God, and to their Guardian Angels. 

The third section of same Rule reminds us of 
the essential duties of religion, in which we should 
instruct the children, namely : — The offering of 
their hearts to be made on awaking, the sign of 
the cross, which should be their first action, and 
which we should teach them to make slowly and 



RE V. MOTHER McA ULEY. I J, 

devoutly. The thanksgiving they should return 
for all God's benefits, and the petitions for His 
grace, are contained in the morning oblation, 
which should be faithfully taught to the children. 

Moreover, they ought be made ' to understand 
that, before commencing the principal duties of 
the day, they should direct their intention to God, 
to remember that He sees them, and that they 
were created for no other end than to love and 
serve Him, in order to be happy with Him here- 
after. 

We should also teach them a simple method 
of examining their conscience at night, and encour- 
age them to be very faithful to this pious prac- 
tice, frequently inquiring whether it is ever neglected,, 
telling them it is considered by the Saints a short 
and easy way of becoming holy, of surmounting 
one's faults, and that it is also a remote prepara- 
tion for confession. On the duties towards parents 
and superiors, we cannot be too urgent, for the 
neglect or ignorance of them is the cause of the 
eternal loss of many children. 

By the fourth section we are admonished of the 
necessity of teaching the children to assist devoutly 
at the Holy Sacrifice, and never to forget our duty 
as to instructing them for the Sacraments of Pen- 
ance, the Holy Communion, and Confirmation- 



14 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

It would be well if we made them learn the form 
of offering Mass, and that we impressed on their 
minds the obligation they are under of assisting 
thereat every Sunday and Holy Day; as there are 
some parents, unfortunately, who not only fail to 
give their children good example in this respect, 
but too readily consider the slightest . obstacle a 
sufficient excuse for keeping them from Mass. 

Finally, to insure practical fruit from our labors, 
we -must not omit to tell the children that the 
instructions they receive, the pious practices they 
are taught, are intended for after years as well as 
for the present; that it will be always necessary 
to make their morning offering, to prepare care- 
fully for the Sacraments, to assist devoutly at 
Mass, and that when they see others uninstructed, 
.and acting in a manner contrary to their Christian 
duties, they should sweetly and quietly admonish 
them, in order to prevent sin. 

With regard to our method of imparting relig- 
ious instruction, we cannot be too simple ; far- 
fetched words, studied discourses should be 
unknown amongst us ; — for such are entirely above 
the capacity of our young charges, and thus our 
time would be lost. Experience daily proves that 
the simplest instructions are the best and the most 
impressive. Little examples, which are striking, and 



REV. MOTHER McAVLEY. 1 5 

familiar comparisons are most useful, and serve to 
gain the children's attention. It would be well if 
we questioned them on what we tell them, for by 
this we can better judge whether they understand 
our instructions. 

Let us also sometimes speak to their holy 
Angels, and ask through their intercession for all 
graces for our pupils, as well as for ourselves, that 
we may imitate the zeal and charity of these 
angelic spirits. 

To evince gratitude for our sublime vocation, we 
should labor unceasingly to fit ourselves for the dis- 
charge of the duties it imposes. We cannot too much 
fear the woe pronounced by Jesus Christ against 
those who scandalize His " little ones" by bad 
example, and strive to be always to them subjects 
of edification. 

It imports us also to be well instructed in the 
doctrine of the Church, in order to teach the 
same to the children, which, according to St. 
Alphonsus, every Christian is bound to know: 

1st. The five principal mysteries. 

2d. The Sacraments, at least Baptism, Penance 
and the Holy Eucharist. 

3d. The Commandments of God, and the 
Church. 

4th. The Our Father, Hail Mary and the Creed. 



1 6 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER III. 

OF THE VISITATION OF THE SICK. 

*D Y our vocation to the Order of Mercy, and 
by a most sacred vow at our Holy Profession, 
we are engaged to comfort and instruct the sick 
poor of Christ. 

This is the principal reason why we are called 
" Sisters of Mercy," and why, to the faithful dis- 
charge of this duty, so many graces are annexed. 
Remark the words of our Blessed Lord, quoted 
in the first section of this Rule : " Amen, I say to 
you, as long as you did it to one of these my 
least brethren, you did it to me." Oh! what an 
ineffable consolation to serve Christ Himself, in the 
person of the poor, and to walk in the very same 
path which he trod ! and this happy vocation is 
ours, all unworthy as we are of such a grace. 

During His mortal life our Divine Lord always 
evinced the greatest compassion for the sick, and 
performed many miracles for their recovery; and 
not satisfied with this, He granted to His Apostles 
the power of healing maladies, also inspired many 
among the Saints, to continue this sweet work of 
mercy. These considerations should stimulate us, 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 7 

as our holy Rule remarks, to fulfil with fervor and 
delight every part of this meritorious duty. 

Our hearts then, should be replenished with 
love and gratitude to our Divine Spouse, for allow- 
ing us so graciously to aid Him in the person of 
the poor; and as the faithful discharge of this 
service entails many little sacrifices on our part, 
and is at all times arduous, we must place all our 
confidence in God, ever keep in mind the patience 
and humility of Jesus Christ, endeavoring to copy, 
more and more perfectly, His self-denial, patience, 
and entire resignation. 

Accordingly, when the great accounting day 
comes, oh ! how sweet a sentence shall we hear 
addressed to us by our Sovereign Judge: "Come 
ye blessed of my Father, for I was hungry and 
you gave me to eat," etc. And with what a crown 
of surpassing beauty will He reward the little ser- 
vices we rendered to His suffering members, ser- 
vices His grace made delightful. 

We should be faithful to observe all that our 
holy Rule prescribes regarding the preparation 
for the Visitation ; dressing quickly, visiting the 
Most Holy Sacrament, there begging the blessing 
of our dear Lord, and all the graces necessary for 
promoting His glory, and the salvation of souls; 
endeavoring to understand perfectly the way we 



1 8 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

should go ; nor should we walk too quickly or 
too slowly, but, at a moderate pace. 

Our very looks should bespeak recollection, 
and this will be the case, if we expect to meet 
our Divine Redeemer in each habitation. 

Many of the Saints caused worldlings to enter 
into themselves, and to think of God, by their 
modest and recollected deportment, when walking 
through the streets ; and so may we, if we imitate 
them. 

We should use judgment in the instructions 
and prayers, to adapt them to the spiritual wants 
of those we visit. The fervent, we should inspire 
with sentiments of love, confidence and resignation. 
The indifferent and careless, with fear of God's 
judgments, humility and contrition. 

In these visits to the poor, we should not 
allow our time to pass unprofitably, as it undoubt- 
edly would, if we permit them to speak incessantly, 
and to relate things that would not benefit them 
to tell. However, there are exceptions to this ; 
for it unburthens the mind of some, to make 
known all their little trials ; and thus, it is well to 
listen to them, in order to gain their confidence, 
and to draw them to God. Our manner of speak- 
ing should be easy, soothing and impressive, as a 
loud tone of voice distresses the sick. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 9 

We should never forget that the spiritual good 
of the sick is to be our principal aim, and that 
when we find persons who have been long absent 
from the Sacraments, and are indifferent about 
their souls, we must endeavor to rouse them to 
repentance, by speaking with holy zeal, of how 
God punishes those who abuse his grace, and die 
in sin ; then, of the necessity of seeking pardon 
in the Sacrament of Penance, and the miserable 
eternity that awaits the impenitent sinner. We 
must admonish such persons with great energy, 
with real concern for their poor souls, for unless 
we evince deep interest, we shall fail to move the 
sinner to repentance. Our zeal must, at the same 
time, be prudent; we should study the dispositions 
of those we have to instruct, and if we find per- 
sons, particularly men, who have little or no 
religion, inclined to make a jest of what we say, 
asking questions which it would require a theolo- 
gian to answer, we must be very cautious in our 
replies, and desist as soon as possible from speak- 
ing to them. But when we meet non-Catholics, 
who are favorably disposed to embrace our holy 
faith, we should, however much they urge us, 
decline giving them instruction, but recommend 
them to address themselves to a priest. 

Having succeeded in inspiring those whom we 



20 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

visit, with a salutary fear of God, and a regret for 
their indifference in His service, we would then da 
well to animate them with confidence, by remind- 
ing them of the love our Divine Lord manifested,, 
while on earth, for all who returned to Him. We 
could here cite as examples, St. Peter, St. Mary 
Magdalen, the penitent thief, the parable of the 
Good Shepherd, and the Prodigal Son; any one 
of these is calculated to arouse confidence. 

To our instructions we should add a fervent 
prayer, that our Lord, the true " Changer of 
hearts," may, by His grace, soften those of 
His poor creatures and bring them to repent- 
ance. 

Once we have succeeded in inducing the 
patient to wish for reconciliation with God, we 
ought to direct our exertions to prepare him for 
the Sacrament of Penance, referring thereunto our 
every prayer and precept. 

Let us frequently question the sick, and all 
whom we instruct, on the principal mysteries; but, 
in our intercourse with persons of a respectable 
class, or others who would be embarrassed by 
such interrogations, it will suffice to ascertain, in 
an indirect manner, whether they know and under- 
stand what is essential ; for instance : in showing 
them a Crucifix, we could ask them, did they not 



: T. MOTHER M:A UL E 2 I 

remember which : the Divine Persons i 

them, and why He became man? etc. 

Where there is no hope :: recovery', charity 
[uires that we make it known gradually and 
cautiously, lest the patient be too much a!; 
We may suggest many motives for resignation ; 
such as the vanity of the world, the necessity that 
all lie under of leaving it, sooner or later; the 
happiness of dying in God's grace ; the danger of 
relapsing in:: sin, and being lost, if life were pro- 
longed; the joys of Heaven; the peace experi- 
enced by those who are entirely conformed to the 
will of God ; also the merit of this resignation, 
which, according to the doctrine of 5:. Alphonsus, 
is so great, that a person who dies after having 
made an act :: perfect conform ty goes directly 
to heaven. 

We should, moreover, counsel the sick to make 
frequent acts j( abandonment; : ":: race they have 
en to confess::::. and are truly contrite, they 
ought no: :: indulge fears about eternity; but 
cast themselves intc the ::ean *:f G:d's mercy, 
th an humble c ::;r.dence, trusting in the merits 
of the:: Saviour, and the intercession of His 
Blessed Mother f: : the -'a:e of a - ana 

h:ly death. 

We are a:hu:a:shed by ;ur holy Rule, to 



22 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

avoid giving our advice or opinion on the tempo- 
ral affairs of those whom we visit ; the only sug- 
gestion it becomes us to make is to have them 
consult some person on whose good sense and 
probity they can rely. 

As we have no established funds for the poor,, 
we cannot safely make promises about procuring 
relief for the sick person's family, but we may as- 
sure those who are anxious about their children, 
that God will take care of them — that the Blessed 
Virgin will be their Mother; and the more perfect 
the conformity of the sick and dying parent, the 
greater the graces they draw down on themselves 
and their family. However, it would not be mak- 
ing promises to say, that should the children 
come to school, we would attend to their instruc- 
tion. 

On returning to the Convent, we should at 
once make a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment — thank Him most fervently for His protec- 
tion — humble ourselves for the faults we have 
committed, and supplicate all graces for those we 
have visited. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEV. 2$ 



CHAPTER IV. 

OF THE ADMISSION OF POOR WOMEN TO THE HOUSE 

OF MERCY. 

r VfS the first section of this Rule mentions 

particularly, that it is " poor women of good 

character," who are to be admitted to the " House 

of Mercy," we cannot be too exact on this point. 

No young woman should be admitted whose 
character has not been at all times irreproachable ; 
that is, innocent of all that could have given the 
least scandal. But, we are not to understand by 
this, that giddiness, or an apparent want of sense, 
is a just cause for exclusion, as these faults may 
often arise from a non-observance of due restraint, 
or, serious reflection on divine Truths — so that, a 
little time in the House of Mercy, might remove 
the cause of these failings. 

There are some young women very good in 
other respects, who have naturally, violent, unsub- 
dued tempers ; in such cases it would be better 
not to admit them, as they might ruin the peace 
of the house. 

If they could be placed in safe lodgings, and 



24 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

advised to frequent the Sacraments, as the best 
means of overcoming themselves, it would be suffi- 
ciently fulfilling our duty towards them. 

The inmates of the house should, as our holy 
Rule says, be carefully instructed in the Catechism, 
and taught how to prepare for the Sacraments. 
Great care should be taken to make them rightly 
understand in what true piety consists, as many, 
who have a pious turn of mind, imagine it to be 
comprised solely in approaching often the Sac- 
raments, and saying long prayers ; whereas, they 
should know that where any pious act of super- 
erogation interferes with the good order and reg- 
ularity to be observed in the families with whom 
they live, it does not honor God, but is rather 
displeasing to Him. 

It would be useful to inculcate the necessity 
and advantage of regarding as the will of God, 
every lawful command of those in whose employ 
they are engaged — ever keeping in mind the 
humility and subjection of their Divine Redeemer; 
and for His sake, bearing patiently any severe or 
unkind treatment, which, they should remember, 
never justifies them in acting disrespectfully towards 
their employers. Again, they should consider 
their employers as placed over them by God ; 
above all, they ought scrupulously to avoid speak- 



REV. MOTHER McAVLEY. 25 

ing of them uncharitably, or making known their 
defects, as this is a fault often committed through 
ignorance. 

The obligation they are under of taking great 
care of the articles confided to them, should be 
also impressed on their minds, telling them always 
to keep in remembrance the scrutinizing exami- 
nation they must one day undergo. 

Whilst in the House of Mercy, they should 
never be allowed to indulge idleness, but required 
to perform their duties with regularity, and induced 
to love tidiness. If they refuse to comply with 
the regulations laid down, it is better to dismiss 
them. 

The fourth section of this Rule, reminds the 
Sisters that they should not be familiar with these 
persons. Should one of them, at any time, address 
a Sister without necessity, a kind reply should 
be given, but the conversation not continued. 
Should they apply to them on any necessary 
subject, they should refer them to the " Sister in, 
charge." 

In their intercourse with these persons, the 
Sisters should always speak to them kindly, and 
if it be necessary to reprove them, it should 
be done gently and meekly, in order to let them 
see it is for their good. 



26 



FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



Although our holy Rule mentions the partic- 
ular days on which the young women should 
approach the Sacraments, yet, it is not always in 
our power to have this section observed, as it 
generally depends on the wishes of the Confessor 
and other circumstances. 







REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 2J 



CHAPTER V. 

OF THE VOW OF HOLY POVERTY. 

6jN the first section of this Rule, we are exhorted 
to weigh well in our minds the tender love 
our Divine Spouse, Jesus Christ, bore to holy 
poverty. We are invited to consider Him from 
the Crib to the Cross, and to learn from His 
example, in what holy poverty consists, what it 
exacts in rigor, and to what the perfection of it 
obliges. 

Let us study our Divine Model, and see in His 
very birth, how utterly He renounced all earthly 
riches, all manner of comfort, all the appendages of 
wealth, and how closely He embraced cold, hun- 
ger and privations of every kind — the true badges 
of holy poverty. But it was not in His sacred 
nativity only that our Lord practised this blessed 
virtue. His entire life was one of continual pov- 
erty. He was so destitute that He had not the 
means of paying the tribute — nay, He had not 
whereon to lay His head. When He suffered from 
hunger in the desert, He had no food; He had 
but one garment, and even of that He was 



28 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

despoiled before His death : hence, the love of 
poverty was amongst His last lessons, and, as our 
holy Rule remarks : " It is the patrimony He 
has bequeathed to His faithful followers!* 

Let us now consider the perfect disengage- 
ment from earthly things required of us in the 
second section. It suffices not that we renounce 
in effect all we possessed in the world, we must 
also, detach our affections from them ; for the 
Saints teach, that what constitutes the merit and 
excellence of holy poverty is, first, detachment of 
the heart from earthly possessions, and secondly, 
a relish or love of those things which make pov- 
erty practically felt. 

In this point, as in every other, Jesus Christ 
is our model. He was not only devoid of riches, 
but He reduced Himself to a state of absolute 
want ; and so ardently did He cherish holy pov- 
erty, that he embraced with joy every privation 
attendant on it. 

The Saints too, in every age, fired with a 
noble ambition of following their Divine Master, 
renounced wealth and dignities, and chose rather 
to be poor with Jesus Christ, than rich without 
Him. 

St. Francis called poverty, the Spouse of Christ ; 
St. Ignatius Loyala, the Mother of Religious, and 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 2ty 

Blessed Paul of the Cross,* the rampart of his 
congregation. 

With these bright examples before us, can we, 
who have left all for Christ, hesitate a moment in 
resolving that we will aim at acquiring poverty of 
spirit in all its perfection? To do this, we must 
be quite content with all that is provided for us, 
and even think that we are taken too much care 
of. We must be ready to give up, at a moment's 
warning, anything appointed to our use ; and, 
should we find ourselves, even in the least degree,, 
attached to any article whatsoever, we ought, if 
we wish to acquire true poverty of spirit, to at 
once ask leave to relinquish it. 

St. M. M. de Pazzi used to say, that the Relig- 
ious who dresses and lives without desiring any- 
thing, but what is provided for her by the Commu- 
nity and Superior, is sure of salvation. 

The more perfect, then, our poverty is, the 
more abundantly will God fill our souls with heav- 
enly treasures, with which, we can purchase eter- 
nal happiness. 

In the third section we are reminded, that 
we are not to give anything, or receive any 
present, without permission. All presents we 

*Not canonized till 1867, and these instructions were given* 
previous to the year 1841. 



JO FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

receive should, at once, be given up to the 
Mother Superior, that she may dispose of them 
as she thinks well. 

In our very dress, we ought to be mirrors of 
holy poverty, loving the coarsest, plainest and 
oldest things in the house ; we should keep noth- 
ing that is unnecessary, but give up all that 
ceases to be useful to us. Let us even love to 
want what is convenient and necessary to us, and 
rejoice, if possible, when we are not supplied with 
everything we require or wish for, since we are 
poor Religious, who, like the poor, must be satis- 
fied to want conveniences. This was the senti- 
ment of St. M. M. de Pazzi, who valued much 
the least thing given her by the Community, how- 
ever abject and mean, and would say: "The 
meaner things are, the more we should esteem 
them ; for we make profession of poverty, and 
everything seems precious to the poor, who know 
well that rich and valuable things are not for 
them." On this subject, St. Francis de Sales says : 
"" The to-morrow of a soul dedicated to God 
should be her trust in His Divine Providence." 

We should also accommodate ourselves to the 
daily inconveniences which occur in diet, clothing, 
and other occasions, receiving all according to 
God's designs, who affords us those opportunities 



REV. MOTHER McAULEF. 3t 

of mortification ; thus, we should welcome them, 
and kiss the hand that sends them ; and this, we 
may learn from St. Francis de Chantal, who says : 
" When we get what is according to our liking, 
let us bless God, who has permitted us to have 
this little enjoyment ; and when we receive what 
is not in keeping with our wishes, let us equally 
thank His goodness for sending tis this little occa- 
sion of practising virtue!' 

" voluntary poverty" cries out St. Lawrence 
Justinian, "how blessed art thou ! possessing noth- 
ing, thou art always cheerful ; always abounding, 
because thou turnest to advantage every inconven- 
ience!' 

Again, " Poverty should be the badge of Relig- 
ious; and as men of the world distinguish their 
property by stamping it with their names, so the 
works of a Religious should be known to be such, 
by the mark of holy poverty." — St. M. M. de Pazzi. 



32 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER VI. 

OF THE VOW OF CHASTITY. 

£TTHE chastity to which a Religious binds her- 
self by vow is a virtue which renders her, in 
some manner, equal to the Angels. Their chastity, 
though more blessed, is not so generous as that 
of a Religious, for it is an effect of their beatitude, 
whilst her's is the result of her virtue and courage. 
We have been called to the unspeakable honor 
of following Jesus Christ, by the practice of this 
angelic virtue, but, as we hold this fragile treasure 
in an earthen vessel, we must take the utmost 
precautions to preserve it. Doubtless, there is 
greater security for it in Religion than in the world, 
but still, it is never out of danger, for in leaving 
the world, we do not leave ourselves, therefore, we 
must endeavor, not only to esteem this heavenly 
virtue, but must beware of the enemies who 
would rob us of it. Amongst these, none are to 
be more feared by the Religious than herself: 
her own passions, senses and inclinations are the 
instruments, of which the demon makes use, to 
effect her ruin, or at least, to dim the luster of 
her virtue. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 33 

With what arms then, are we to combat for 
the preservation of our vow ? With no other than 
those of humility and mortification. Humility, 
most powerfully draws down God's grace, and it 
was the remedy our Lord prescribed to many 
great Saints, when assaulted by temptation. 

Mortification, especially of the senses, is also 
essential, and, as our holy Rule remarks, it is 
through these avenues, the enemy tries to gain an 
entrance into our souls. 

If we are vigilant in guarding our senses, there 
is no danger that we shall be surprised by his 
stratagems, for our Lord will aid our feeble efforts 
to keep us closely united to Himself. 

Besides these two virtues, there are other 
weapons furnished us by spiritual writers, namely : 
To avoid worldly conversations, and to recur to 
the thoughts of God's presence, which is ever our 
great safe guard. We should remember, too, that 
Jesus Christ is on our side, sustaining us, and, 
that He only awaits the end of our combat, to 
enrich us with a crown. In great temptations, we 
must have recourse to the thoughts of death, judg- 
ment, and hell ; above all, of the Passion of our 
Saviour, take refuge in His wounds, especially in 
that of His Sacred Heart; we should likewise apply 
to fervent prayer. 



34 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Modesty is the guardian of interior recollection. 
There is no virtue without interior recollection, 
and this point depends upon modesty, the source 
of all virtues and moderator of all passions. 
Patience, humility, obedience, abnegation, all pro- 
ceed from, and flourish with holy modesty. 

Modesty of deportment is especially necessary 
for Religious ; they are lights, which should not 
be hid under a bushel, but appear on lofty mount- 
ains ; they are made a spectacle unto the world, 
to Angels, and to men; the eyes of all are on 
them; hence, their modesty should be apparent to 
all. It is not only essential for edification, but 
also for charity, as they must endeavor to gain 
all, diffusing around them the good odor of Jesus 
Christ. All this is effected most surely by modesty 
of deportment, and in order to imitate our Lord, 
without which, there is no salvation for us. 

Our Divine Redeemer was remarkable for this 
virtue. His eyes were generally cast down, and we 
became Religious only that we might be able to 
copy His virtues more easily and more closely. 
At Reception we clothed ourselves with Jesus 
Christ, therefore we must be adorned with His 
spirit. There are, however, many obstacles to 
this sweet virtue — modesty of deportment: 

ist Obstacle. Forgetfulness of the presence of 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 35 

God ; sloth, created by this forgetfulness ; love of 
ease, to which restraint is painful, especially that 
universal and continual kind which holy modesty 
requires, for we must bear in our bodies the mor- 
tification of Christ, but this is a vain sentiment 
if not reduced to practice. St. Francis de Sales 
asserts that this modesty is the greatest sacrifice 
we can make to God — nay, it is a perpetual cruci- 
fixion. 

2d Obstacle. Want of esteem for little things 
— and this so opposed to our Lord's ideas. The 
least insect or flower is formed with the greatest 
possible perfection, and all creation breathes order 
and regularity. 

3d Obstacle. Pride, love of show, etc., which 
destroys sweetness, humility and recollection. 
The practice of this virtue regards walk, carriage, 
head, eyes, hands, feet, manner, conversation — 
in a word, our every movement. 

The means of acquiring it are briefly these : 

1st. Love and esteem for our Rules, many of 
which touch on this subject; for instance, the chap- 
ter which we are at present considering speaks of 
guarding the senses; that on charity, of avoiding 
in manner, conversation, etc., all that might offend 
or give pain; that on humility, of the deference 
we should pay to each other. 



36 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

2d. Often consider our Model and Master,, 
Jesus, and ponder how He walked, served, spoke 
and ate. 

3d. Recollection. — The practice of the pres- 
ence of God is one-half of holiness, and it is a 
sovereign preservative against sloth and negligence 
in deportment. Politeness is not so much the 
result of education as of recollection and humility. 

4th. Mortification. — This virtue is requisite for 
holy modesty, and involves a spirit of sacrifice 
which is faithful in the smallest things. 

5th. Respect for all persons and their angels. 
Even when alone, St. Francis de Sales acted with 
the same circumspection as when in the presence 
of others. 

The motives for practicing this modesty are : 

1st. That it renders us dear to Jesus Christ 
and to the Holy Spirit, who is jealous of the 
fidelity of His spouses, and because attention ta 
little things is infinitely agreeable to Him. 

2d. It is necessary for Religious, charged with 
the care of young persons. Children are power- 
fully attracted by a modest, humble deportment. 

3rd. It preserves peace and union, by prevent- 
ing rudeness, perverseness, opposition. 

4th. It merits immense graces. Perhaps some 
of our faults proceed from infidelity to little regu- 



RE V. MO TEER BAA ULE Y. : ' 

lations, by which our souls, losing grace, grow 
weak and fall. 

It is likely, too, that the gift of prayer depends 
on some of these little sacrifices. 

5th. It keeps us in the practice of Faith, 
Hope, Charity, Obedience, and every other 
virtue. 

We belong to God, — all in us is His. How 
sweet to the fervent spouse is this thought : Jesus 
•wishes me to walk, speak, etc., — so and so, — shall 
I not try to please Him ? 

This continual watchfulness mav be irksome to 
a tepid, ungrateful Religious, whose want oi 
modesty and reserve, show her dissipated, disor- 
derly interior ; but it is by no means distasteful to 
the fervent soul, who values more the good pleas- 
ure of her Divine Spouse than her own ease. 

It will encourage us to recall, in what detail 
St. Ambrose portrays the modesty of our Blessed 
Lady — showing us, what ours ought to be. He 
says : "All her movements were grave and composed ; 
r ivalk modest, her voice gentle, and all her virtues 
reflected on her zchole exterior, a -nest Perfect image of 
the beaut) of her soul" 

Our holy Rule tells us, that she is the great 
model we are obliged to imitate ; so, let us become 
faithful copies of her, and then we shall have 



38 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

acquired the virtue of holy modesty, in all its 
perfection. 

The Saints vie with each other in lauding chas- 
tity ; thus, St. Philip Neri asserts that " Humility 
is the safeguard of Chastity ;" while, St. Francis 
de Sales styles it, "The lily of virtues, and makes 
man almost equal to the angels. It has this 
peculiar excellence above all other virtues, that it 
preserves both soul and body, fair and unspotted!' 

Again — how blessed this virtue we learn from 
Thomas a Kempis, who says: "If there is joy in 
the world, certainly, the man whose heart is pure 
has it." 



REV. MOTHER McAULEF. 39 



CHAPTER VII. 

OF THE VOW OF OBEDIENXE. 

C]~HE practice of this virtue is enriched with 
merits, with rewards and with advantages, which 
eternity, alone, will fully unfold. 

Now, what are its merits? Each separate act 
of this virtue, proceeding from a superhuman 
motive, procures for the soul a fresh supply of 
grace, which enlightens and animates it in the ser- 
vice of God; but this is not ail: grace is the seed 
of glory. 

And what are the rewards of this virtue? St. 
Teresa tells us " That they are so great, and the 
degree of glory, which our Lord has prepared for 
the obedient, is one so eminent, that she would 
joyfully undergo all the various torments endured 
by the martyrs, only to obtain a share in the least 
portion of that felicity." Accordingly, every action, 
which is sanctified by obedience, be it ever so 
ordinary, obscure, or insignificant in itself, meets 
this same reward. What then must be the treas- 
ures of glory accumulated in one day, by the 
practice of holy obedience ? 

The advantages of this virtue are manifest: 



40 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

1st. Conformably to St. Philip Neri, "It is the 
short road to perfection" This was likewise the 
maxim of St. Teresa. 

2d. It enables us to live in the most unerring 
peace and security : nothing troubles the truly 
obedient soul, for she simply seeks and follows the 
ever blessed will of God, and fulfils it faithfully by 
whatever medium it is made known. 

3d. It gives us great confidence in God, for 
it engages Him to watch over us with paternal 
love, since we implicitly do His will. 

4th. It is the great bond of union in the relig- 
ious life, and makes all have but one will, one 
heart and one soul in God. 

Now, our holy Rule says : that by this vow'we 
have forever renounced our own will. Behold the 
extent of our obligations ! To the end of our lives 
we have vowed to observe holy obedience. We 
have given our will to God, we cannot resume it 
without committing a rapine in the holocaust. Ah! 
let us not be thus ungrateful, but let us rather kiss 
the sweet chains, which, like those of the Apostle, 
make us in bonds for Christ. 

The motive of our obedience, we should ever 
bear in mind : it is no other than the love of God. 
If we obey from inclination, human respect or any 
other such imperfect motive, all is lost: no action, 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 4 1 

however good in itself, will be meritorious, and we 
shall find, but too late, that we have labored in 
vain. 

Let us then, always remember that we obey God 
Himself, when we obey for His love, those whom 
He has placed over us, and this thought will 
impart to us great courage when difficulties arise 
in the practice of this sublime virtue. If we believe 
that God commands, will we not also hope that 
He will give us all graces necessary for accom- 
plishing His designs ? 

The second section of this Rule, descends to 
particularize in what manner we should obey : 
"without hesitation" — this implies the first quality, 
usually assigned by the Saints, to the practice of 
obedience, viz., promptitude ; then — " in all matters, 
of great or little moment — agreeable or disagree- 
able" — here we have the second quality of holy 
obedience : indifference to employments, not con- 
sidering whether they are high or low, honorable 
or abject, but only the will of God, which is 
accomplished thereby. Then we are reminded, 
that we should never " murmur" for this would 
evince great imperfection, and also a want of 
respect for the ordinances of holy obedience. But 
though we may not go so far as to murmur, we 
may fail in this point, by expressing anything like 



42 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

disapprobation, of what is commanded or regulated 
by Superiors. We should not even entertain 
thoughts of this kind, but always consider that 
whatever is ordered is for the best, and by acting 
thus, we shall always be certain of accomplishing 
the divine will. 

Our holy Rule speaks here, of the humility and 
spiritual joy with which we should carry the 
sweet yoke of Jesus Christ. Perhaps no virtue 
requires a greater fund of humility for its exer- 
cise than obedience, which subjects and almost 
annihilates the two noblest powers of the soul — 
the understanding and the will. This sacrifice is 
what makes it such a difficult virtue ; for not only 
are we required to embrace the exigencies attend- 
ant on it, but are likewise to do this with spir- 
itual joy. 

Yes, joy is the special fruit of mortification : it 
is the reward our Lord grants, even in this life, 
to those who renounce their own will and pleasure, 
to follow His; and what austerity can be com- 
pared to that of holding one's will continually 
subject and obedient? Besides — "self-love" — to 
use the words of a pious author, " is the noxious 
air of the spiritual life" — therefore, mortification 
is our emancipation from it. 

Without mortification we would be in thraldom, 






REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 43 

and never taste that childlike joy experienced by 
the truly mortified ; and most of all by those who 
practice the highest degree of self-denial — namely, 
mortification of the will and judgment in obe- 
dience. 

This is not easy — wherefore, our holy Rule 
calls it a "yoke/' but it is the sweet yoke of 
Jesus Christ — one He loved so dearly as to lay 
down His life, rather than resign it. 

Let us then, generously take up the Cross, and 
we will find by experience that it is light and 
sweet, and full of the unction of heavenly grace. 

There are commonly counted three degrees of 
obedience. The first consists in executing, entirely, 
what the Superior commands. This is the most 
imperfect degree — wherefore, St. Ignatius says, it 
does not merit the name of obedience. 

The second degree consists in submitting our 
will to that of the Superior, in executing it with 
promptness and even with joy — renouncing our 
inclinations, in order to have no other than those 
of the Superior. 

This degree is much more perfect than the 
first, which is no better than the obedience of a 
slave. 

The third degree consists in submitting our 
judgment and opinion to those of the Superior. 



44 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

This is the most difficult degree, but it is also 
the most perfect. 

St. Ignatius wished his spiritual children to 
carry this submission as far as — in matters of 
faith — blinding themselves to all reasons which 
might arise against the orders of obedience, and 
making use of all the powers of their mind to 
justify the commands of Superiors. 

The third section of this Rule prohibits our 
absenting ourselves from the Community exercises, 
without the leave of our Superior. Let us then be 
exact on this point, and in compliance with our 
holy Rule, when necessity obliges us to depart 
therefrom, make known the cause of our absence 
immediately after. We are to obey the call of the 
bell, as the voice of God, so as to leave a letter 
unfinished — a sentence but half said, in order to 
attend promptly to its summons. 

The necessity of holy obedience is evident. 
First, there would be no religious Orders, but for 
this Vow. St. Bernard says : " It is obedience that 
makes the Religious," There would be no union, 
peace, or charity in religious houses, without subor- 
dination to a Superior. 

The obstacles to the exercise of this virtue 
are pride, self-love, want of the true spirit of mor- 
tification and of the religious state. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 4$ 

The means of attaining it in perfection are a 
lively faith in the words of our Lord : " He that 
heareth you, heareth Me;" and again, frequent 
reflections on His example, remembering how 
often He declared that " He came on earth not to 
do His own zvill, but the will of Him who sent 
Him ;" how obedient He was to His Blessed Mother 
and St. Joseph, and even to the laws of the coun- 
try where He spent His life. 

Let us listen, too, to the Venerable F. Alvarez,, 
S. J., who tells us that, " Obedience is the com- 
pendium of the spiritual life, as it is also the least 
laborious, least dangerous, the most secure, the 
most expeditious way to enrich ourselves with all 
virtues, and to reach the port of our desires" Here, 
too, we can quote from the Saints, viz : St. Philip 
Neri, who says : " He who always acts under obe- 
dience, may be assured that he will not have to- 
give an account of his actions to God. And that 
a person who leads a common, ordinary life under 
obedience, is more to be esteemed than one who 
does great penance after his own will." Then, the 
seraphic St. Teresa affirms that he who has not 
the virtue of obedience is not worthy to bear the 
name of " Religious. " How cheering are not the 
words of St. John of the Cross, who says: "God 
is more pleased to behold the lowest degree of 



4 6 



FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



obedience for His sake, than all other good works 
you can possibly offer to Him." "The fulfilment 
of the divine will," remarks St. Vincent de Paul, 
" is the creature's supreme good, and this is best 
secured by the practice of holy obedience ; in it 
the soul attains a total annihilation of self-love, 
and the true liberty of the child of God. This is 
the reason devout souls find so much happiness 
and sweetness in obedience." 




REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 47 



CHAPTER VIII. 

OF THE OFFICE AND MENTAL PRAYER. 

CT"HE recital of the Office is one of our most 
sacred duties, therefore we should endeavor to 
say it with all possible attention and devotion. 
Our attention should be threefold : First, attention 
to the words— that is, great care in pronouncing 
them. Second, attention to the meaning of the 
words when we understand them, and when we 
do not we should keep our minds fixed upon 
God. Third, attention to the presence of God. 
If, according to our holy Rule, before commenc- 
ing we reflect on the infinite majesty of that 
God we are about to praise, we shall scarcely 
fail in the first disposition requisite for the faithful 
discharge of this holy exercise, namely, attention. 

Let us now consider the devotion we should 
bring to the recital of the Office. It consists in 
a sweet movement or tendency of the heart 
towards God : a desire of honoring, loving and 
praising Him, for the sake of His own infinite 
goodness aud perfection. 

St. M. M. de Pazzi possessed this disposition 
so perfectly, that her very countenance expressed 



48 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

the overflowing joy of her heart when she heard 
the signal given for the Office. 

We should, therefore, lovingly say our Office, 
uniting in spirit with the holy angels — or rather, 
in reality — for Blessed Paul of the Cross (now St. 
Paul of the Cross) says that they descend into the 
choir to sing with Religious the praises of God, 

Let us then, particularly attend to these two 
points in reciting the Office : first, to pronounce 
the words correctly and distinctly; and secondly, 
to take a moderate tone. St. Catharine of Bologna 
required this of her Religious, and remarked, that 
humility demands that each one should make her 
voice blend with the voices of others, and never seek 
to overpower them. 

It will render us very fervent in saying the 
Office, to remember that by each act of divine 
praise the fervor of charity, its habit, and with it, 
every spiritual good, every rich treasure is increased 
in the soul ; and for every word, every " Gloria 
Patri" we repeat in reciting it, an eternal weight 
of glory will be the recompense. 

The second section of this Rule calls our atten- 
tion to the necessity and advantages of mental 
prayer. To understand its necessity, we must 
ponder the opinion of the Saints, who have been 
illumined on this subject; for instance, St. Aloysius 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 49 

says: " No one can advance in virtue, who does not 
meditate." And St. Liguori, " He that does not 
meditate, cannot be saved without a miracle, for 
he walks in darkness." 

St. Jane de Chantal asserts, that the whole spir- 
itual life depends on the piety with which a soul 
meditates. 

St. Teresa, the great mistress of prayer, affirms 
that to give up meditation is to cast one's self 
into hell. 

And why did these great Saints speak so 
decidedly on its necessity? Because they were 
convinced, first, that without it a Religious has no 
light — that she does not see the way to her 
heavenly country, and, consequently, she is in 
great danger of going astray. 

Secondly, that as our holy Rule remarks, it is 
a most effectual means of imprinting deeply on 
the mind the sublime truths of religion — of ele- 
vating the soul and inflaming the heart with the 
love of God and of heavenly things ; hence, it is 
a strong defence against temptations. Experience 
proves this ; for mental prayer and sin cannot 
exist together; and should those who make it, 
unhappily fall, by persevering in its exercise, 
they see their misery and return to God. 

" Let a soul," says St. Teresa, " be ever so 



50 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

negligent, if she but perseveres in meditation, the 
Lord will lead her back to the haven of salvation!* 
The advantages of mental prayer are manifold. 
First, It is the great means of attaining the per- 
fection of our state; and the Saints became Saints 
by its faithful practice. 

Secondly. It inspires the soul with holy thoughts,, 
pious desires and good resolutions. 

Thirdly. " It is the spring of all virtues," 
according to St. John Climachus, "and gives to 
them strength and solidity." 

Fourthly. It imparts great purity to the inten- 
tion, great peace to the soul, great light to the 
mind, and great facility for holy aspirations. 

Fifthly. It calms the passions, effaces imper- 
fections, and transforms the soul into a sanctuary, 
where Jesus loves to dwell. 
The obstacles to it are : 

ist Obstacle. Want of the true spirit of mortifi- 
cation : for in proportion as the soul is faithful in 
the practice of self-denial, so does she progress in 
the heavenly exercise of prayer — one cannot exist 
without the other. 

2d Obstacle. Want of preparation, both remote 
and immediate. 

jd Obstacle. Negligence in observing the direc- 
tions prescribed. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEV. 5 I 

Now, if we do not carefully guard against these 
obstacles our prayer will not be well made, and 
the time we spend therein will, in a great measure, 
be lost. 

We should never close our meditation without 
considering what fault is to be avoided for the day, 
and what virtue is to be specially cultivated ; as 
also, to form an humble but fervent resolution to 
refrain from sin, and practically to cherish virtue. 
No soul is safe but the one who reposes solely in 
God. 

St. Francis de Sales advises, that at the close 
of our prayer we make a spiritual bouquet : viz., 
a remembrance of one or two points in which we 
feel particular devotion, in order to excite fervor 
during the day. 

We are told in this Rule, that we are to take 
delight in mental prayer. This will not be difficult 
if we remember to whom we speak when engaged 
therein : to our Lord, our Master, our Father, our 
Spouse, our All — our dearest and sweetest Jesus. 
Nor will a state of aridity prevent us taking delight 
in prayer, for, in the superior part of the soul, we 
can ever rejoice in the perfections of God. We 
can implore His mercy, make acts of resignation, 
love, contrition, abandonment, though the inferior 
part may be overwhelmed with desolation. 



52 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

"Oh ! " exclaims St. Francis de Sales, " blessed 
the soul that perseveres affectionately in this holy 
exercise, notwithstanding all difficulties, for she will 
enrich herself, and will receive the bread of grace, 
which will nourish her unto eternal life/' And else- 
where he advises as follows: "Truly, we ought, 
with great simplicity, leave to our heavenly Father 
the care of our prayer, and of our interior, while, 
being on our side, faithful to practise the solid vir- 
tue, which He will lay in our way." 

In his book on the " Love of God," he wisely 
remarks : " Solid rapture is to go out of our evil 
inclinations, to live according to the Rule, which is 
the will of God for us, and in which we shall find 
all means for our perfection, as also for union with 
God and with our neighbor!' 

But we should never forget, that of all other 
gifts, prayer must come from God : hence, we must 
beg it continually, with a profound humility and 
an untiring patience. 

The labors and fatigues of our Institute are 
at all times great, and constant perseverance in 
bearing them appears hard, but we have an 
unfailing fount of refreshment in holy meditation, 
to invigorate our feeble spirits — to spur us on to 
the practice of patience, and every other virtue. 

Conformably to this teaching, we may here 



REV. MOTHER McAULEF. S3 

quote St. Vincent de Paul: " Amongst ordinary- 
occupations, we should have our spiritual exer- 
cises most at heart, — taking care to do them in 
preference to other things, where obedience does 
not enjoin the contrary ; because spiritual things 
appertain to God directly, and most efficaciously 
conduce to perfection; if we neglect them, we 
draw down upon ourselves the malediction threat- 
ened by the Holy Ghost, to those who do the 
work of God negligently!' 




54 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER IX. 

OF THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES AND RENEWAL OF VOWS. 

(7THE great importance and utility of spiritual 
retreats are so well known by experience, 
that it appears almost a waste of words to dwell 
at length on them. 

The Saints, who knew the value of spiritual 
exercises, considered a retreat as one of the most 
special graces in the treasury of God ; and many 
of them are now in glory, bright with the efful- 
gence of the ever blessed Deity, who owe their 
state of bliss to a well made retreat. 

For our instruction and example, our Divine 
Lord, Himself, spent forty days in the silence and 
solitude of the desert, before entering upon His 
public ministry. The necessity and advantages of 
retreat are equally clear and obvious : the great- 
est fervor is relaxed by time, and the most heroic 
virtue stands in need of frequent supplies of 
strength, which are obtained by means of retreat. 

The soul sees plainly its state in retreat. The 
meditations, lights, inspirations — all tend to unfold 
to her the view of her infidelities and imperfec- 



RE V. MO THER McA ULE Y. 55 

tions, and without this clear view she would never 
amend. 

Again : the voice of Jesus Christ is heard dis- 
tinctly in the silence of retreat — sometimes reproach- 
ing the soul with her ingratitude — at other times, 
sweetly inviting her to a more perfect life, and 
this internal voice is so efficacious and powerful, 
that no heart can resist it, or be deaf to its lov- 
ing appeals. 

These inspirations give rise to strong resolutions 
to devote one's self to God without reserve, and 
to advance in every religious virtue. 

Most aptly is retreat styled "the School of 
Divine Love," and the great means to conduct the 
soul to her Sovereign Good — to unite her more 
closely to Him. 

The means of drawing fruit from retreat are 
to enter on it with a firm resolution to give our- 
selves wholly to God : to refuse Him nothing ; to 
be inviolably faithful to the inspirations He sends ; 
to have an ardent desire to profit by this great 
grace, and be determined to persevere in the fer- 
vent discharge of our spiritual exercises, with an 
unbounded confidence in God, notwithstanding all 
the obstacles we may encounter from aridity, 
temptation, and the weakness of our vitiated 
nature. 



56 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

The motives for entering retreat are, first and 
paramount, obedience to the adorable will of 
God, intimated to us by our holy Rule and 
Superiors. 

Secondly. Our spiritual necessities, which are 
so numerous and urgent, that we cannot be blind 
to them : such as, our infidelity to grace — the lit- 
tle fruit we reap from the frequent use of the 
sacraments — our failures in humility, silence, charity, 
and the other religious virtues. 

The obstacles to our making a good retreat 
are, first : entering on it with minds preoccupied 
with external duties; for in retreat we should be 
as if God and ourselves were alone in the world. 

Secondly. Being reserved with God. St. Igna- 
tius tells us, that nothing short of generosity, 
without reserve, will dispose a soul to receive in 
abundance the spiritual gifts of God ; and besides, 
the greatest graces are often annexed to the 
smallest sacrifices. 

Thirdly. Neglecting to make determined and 
special resolutions, — or if we make them, placing 
too much reliance on our own strength, instead of 
on the assistance of God ; and when occasions of 
reducing them to practise occur, neglecting to 
adopt the means of resisting the temptations of 
the enemy, and of our unsubdued passions, these 



REV. MOTHER McAULEV. S7 

means, as pointed out, are prayer and prompt 
oppositions to the suggestions of the evil one. 

Another, and a most strenuous motive to urge 
us to make our retreat is the thought that it may- 
be for us the final pledge of God's love, and that, 
if we abuse this favor, the measure of our infidel- 
ities may be filled up, and like the barren fig-tree, 
we may be cut down and cast into the fire. 

The first section of this Rule tells us, that 
spiritual exercises are considered one of the most 
powerful means for the advancement of Religious 
in the perfection of their state, but this is true 
only when they are fervently performed ; other- 
wise, they contribute to render the soul more 
criminal in the sight of God, by the abuse of grace. 

On the first day of every year, as our holy 
Rule prescribes, we should make a renewal of our 
Vows, to excite in our hearts an increase of fervor 
in the service of our heavenly Spouse. 

How acceptable to God is this renewal of Vows, 
we learn from St, M. M. de Pazzi, who says : " As 
often as promises made to God are renewed, a 
renewal of union with God takes place, and the 
soul acquires more or less of this divine union, 
according to the state of perfection in which it is 
at the time, and to the degree of charity it pos- 
sesses. " 



58 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

This seraphic spouse of Jesus was accustomed 
to renew her Vows daily, looking on them as 
something divine, and a singular privilege conferred 
on those called to holy religion. She considered 
them as the " price and treasure of Paradise/' 
and loved them as the chains of divine love ; 
hence, she remarks : " As worldly people make 
much of their birthday, or the anniversary of 
some great event, so should Religious, and with 
more reason celebrate with spiritual joy the 
day on which they were united to God by so 
strong a chain, that can never be snapped 
asunder." 

But, in order to excite in our hearts a renewal 
of fervor by this renewal of Vows, we must spend 
well the three days' retreat preceding this most 
holy action. We should form generous resolutions 
to correct everything we find to have been defect- 
ive in our past observance of them; we must no 
longer resist grace, by favoring our imperfect 
inclinations, and cease struggling against Jesus and 
His Spirit, but labor assiduously to become His 
true followers in poverty, chastity, obedience, 
humility, mortification, and love of labor. 

St. Ignatius gives the three following motives 
for the renewal of Vows : 

1st. To increase devotion in the heart. 



RE V. MOTHER McAULEY. 59 

2d. To remind Religious of the obligations 
they have contracted with God. 

3d. To confirm them more strongly in their 
vocation. 

A holy writer says : " The Vows should be 
renewed with great joy, to show that we feel no 
regret for having made them ; but on the contrary, 
that had we a thousand worlds to forsake, we 
would leave them all for the love of God ; and if 
we had a thousand wills and a thousand hearts 
to sacrifice, we would immolate them all with 
joy. 




60 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER X. 

OF CONFESSION AND COMMUNION. 

^_!rf S you are already acquainted with the disposi- 
tions requisite for approaching the Sacrament 
of Penance, we will here treat only of that peculiar 
to Religious, who approach this sacrament so fre- 
quently. 

In the Sacrament of Penance, Jesus Christ has 
deposited His Precious Blood to be a life-giving: 
fountain, to cleanse our souls from sin, to heal 
them of their wounds, to strengthen and comfort 
them in their weakness, and enrich them with His 
grace. 

This Divine Blood is dispensed to us by the 
priest in the holy absolution, and is abundantly 
poured on those who go to confession with the 
proper dispositions. Oh ! how fortunate is our lot 
to be able at so small a cost to purchase Paradise 
again, which we had forfeited through our own 
fault. 

To understand this we must consider at how 
dear a rate our Blessed Lord procured for us this 
favor — by the scourging, the thorns, the nails, the 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 6 1 

Cross — in a word, by His bitter Passion and 
Death. 

Then, for us to reap the fruit of His sufferings, 
one act of true sorrow — one good confession suffices. 

The advantages of frequent confession are, that 
it produces great purity of heart and great peace 
to the soul. But, in order to obtain these spirit- 
ual favors, we must be careful to spend well the 
time allotted to preparing for confession. It is no 
little error for Religious to pass this interval in 
endless and minute examination of conscience, and 
but a few moments in exciting contrition and form- 
ing purposes of amendment. With our frequent 
examines, we ought not to require more than a 
few minutes to recall our faults, and should any 
unusual or particular one occur, it would be impos- 
sible for us to forget it. 

But, if we are not on our guard, we may 
easily neglect the principal point, viz., contrition, 
for after all, it is not so much relating long 
accounts of our defects, as being sorry for them 
with our whole heart. 

The motives for contrition, which appear best 
suited to Religious, are, first : The immense love 
of God for them — manifested in a thousand 
ways — particularly in the special call to the relig- 
ious state. 



62 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Then, the contrast of their ungrateful return in 
wounding so unutterable a love. 

Second motive. The Passion of their Divine 
Spouse, Jesus, in which as in a mirror, they behold 
the share they had in His sufferings. 

Third and most perfect motive. The infinite 
goodness of God — His beauty, sweetness, amiabil- 
ity, and, above all, His loving mercy. This kind of 
sorrow is continually feeding the love of God in 
the souls of those who frequently make it their 
practice. 

Another important part is the resolution of 
amendment, with the aid of divine grace ; and 
this is indispensable, for, let our faults be great or 
trivial, few or many, unless we are determined* 
with the help of grace, not to offend God again 
deliberately, and to guard against temptations, we 
prove we are not truly contrite, and, consequently, 
want the most essential disposition for this sacra- 
ment, a change of sentiments, thoughts, and affec- 
tions. 

Let us therefore ask ourselves, has this change 
been evident with all our confessions ? have we 
amended our lives ? is our hatred for our faults 
as great as our negligence, in avoiding them here- 
tofore? If not, we have reason to fear that our 
purposes of amendment were not sincere, that 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 63 

they were made with the lips only, or, if true at 
the time, that we have fallen from the fervent dis- 
positions we were in when forming these resolu- 
tions, either from not making the necessary efforts 
to keep them, or, from placing too much reliance 
on ourselves, or too little confidence in God. 

The subjects of accusation in confession, besides 
offences against the commandments of God and 
the Church, are failings opposed to our holy Rule and 
Vows. We should be careful to mention, in par- 
ticular, .any faults calculated to give disedification ' T 
also, the causes of our faults, whether they arise 
from repugnance, negligence, etc. 

Finally, we should be very simple, truthful,, 
and charitable in our accusations, telling our own 
faults, just as we conceive them to be in God's 
sight, never involving our neighbor. 

Let us also avoid general accusations, for these 
are useless in confession ; if for example, we had 
to accuse ourselves of faults in the discharge of 
our spiritual exercises, we should not be content 
to say : " we did not take sufficient pains to be 
recollected ;" but mention whether we made a 
careless preparation for prayer, or were negligent 
in banishing distractions, etc., and so on, of other 
faults. 

We should highly value any instruction given 



64 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

us in confession, listen with great respect and 
humility, and try to draw every profit from these 
precepts. This respectful attention, St. F. de Sales 
inculcates, when he says : " Should the Director 
counsel you to anything not in accordance with 
your Rule, listen to him with respect, but do as 
your Rule directs.'' 

We will know whether we are drawing fruit 
from our confessions, by remarking if we are 
advancing in the love of our own abjection, in 
humility, and in purity of heart; for these are 
the virtues, which, according to the doctrine of 
the Saints, belong especially to the Sacrament of 
Penance ; and it is ever by the measure of humil- 
ity, that we may recognize our progress : thus, if 
we wish to know whether our confessions are good, 
we have only to consider if we are correcting our 
faults, the infallible proof of their validity. 

The Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist 
having been instituted by our dear Lord to be 
our food and support during this mortal pilgrimage, 
and also, our perpetual sacrifice, we should, there- 
fore, cultivate a most loving devotion to this 
heavenly mystery. 

The first practice of devotion named in our 
holy Rule is that of assisting daily at the august 
Sacrifice of the Mass. St. Francis de Sales calls 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 6$ 

this divine Sacrifice, "an unspeakable mystery," 
and says, that prayer made in union with it, has 
great power in disarming the Omnipotent. 

What would become of us, if we had not, in 
the Mass, our most loving Jesus, making interces- 
sion for us, and uniting His infinite merits and 
prayers with ours, to obtain a favorable hearing 
with His Father? How could we ever thank God 
for His innumerable favors, if we had not in the 
Mass, wherewith to offer gratitude, and to return not 
less than the gifts we have received ? 

We have all wants to be supplied, and duties 
to perform, for which we need great graces, and 
by no other means can we so effectually succeed 
in obtaining them as by this Most Holy Sacri- 
fice. Herein we have Jesus as our Victim, Ransom, 
Surety; here we possess a treasury of virtues and 
graces, an infallible means of salvation and sanc- 
tity ; here a sovereign remedy in all evils, tempta- 
tions, and difficulties ; a most effectual means of 
obtaining all graces for ourselves and others ; here, 
in fine, Calvary is renewed, the merits of Christ 
applied to all our wants, and a perfect model of 
every virtue is presented for our imitation. 

All else, whether prayer, fasts, austerities, or 
other good works, are defective ; but the Mass is 
omnipotent. Why then are we so weak and 



66 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

imperfect with such a means of sanctity within 
our reach? Simply because we do not assist 
thereat as we should — that is, with recollection, 
humility, and a loving spirit of sacrifice, which is 
ready to suffer for its Beloved. This will be evi- 
dent if we courageously endure aridity — prefigured 
by the gloom which overspread Calvary, — and the 
want of all comfort, such as our Blessed Mother 
underwent. Why should we then expect con- 
solations? Jesus was sacrificed but once on Cal- 
vary, while He is daily immolated on our altars. 
He was betrayed by Judas— now, He is our cap- 
tive by love. His chains, His scourges, His nails, 
and His cross, are the tokens of love He bears 
to His creatures. Jesus here says : " Father, forgive 
them." " All is consummated!' 

To be brief, a single Mass is more honorable 
to God, more useful and satisfactory for sin, than 
the combined good works of all the Saints. 

During Mass we ought to unite ourselves with 
Jesus, considering His actions and His virtues. If 
we enter into the recess of His Sacred Heart, we 
will there behold the greatest love, humility, 
patience, sweetness, recollection, contrition and 
sacrifice. 

It is a pious practice with some, to unite them- 
selves, frequently, in spirit, with all the Masses 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 67 

being offered every hour during the day; or, when 
prevented from hearing Mass, commission their 
holy angel to do so for them, in imitation of St, 
Aloysius. 

Another devotion named in this section of our 
Rule, to honor the Blessed Sacrament, is the recep- 
tion of the Holy Communion. 

Theologians affirm, that the highest act of wor- 
ship, which a creature can pay to his Creator, is 
to receive Him as his food, in this tremendous 
Mystery. 

In reading the " Lives of the Saints," we are 
surprised at the temptations, difficulties and morti- 
fications they endured ; yet, this would not call 
forth astonishment, were we to reflect that one 
single Communion well made is sufficient to make 
a Saint. 

All the servants of God have ever looked upon 
the Blessed Sacrament as the richest treasure of 
grace, and have derived all their sanctity there- 
from ; hence, if we wish for strength to resist temp- 
tations — if we desire grace to keep us from falling 
into imperfections, — if we long for courage and 
fervor to imitate the virtues, in the exercise of 
which our Lord spent His Life, we will look on 
each Communion as the most precious moment of 
our lives, we will love to approach this holy 



68 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Banquet, and will spare no pains in our preparation 
to receive this Divine Jesus who delights to repose 
in our souls. 

The result of Holy Communion is to renew in 
us the life of grace, to revive our courage, to 
remedy our miseries — in fine, to make some 
return of love to Jesus, who has loved us unto the 
end. 

A holy servant of God remarks: "That this 
Precious Sacrament invigorates, fortifies us for 
future trials." But, let us now consider the dispo- 
sition with which we should partake of this 
heavenly Food. 

According to St. Francis de Sales : u Our whole 
lives should be a preparation. We should be all 
love." St. M. M. de Pazzi used to call the day of 
Communion, "a day of love." 

We will not fail in the above dispositions, if 
our souls be adorned with the virtues named in 
our holy Rule, viz., " lively faith, profound humility, 
and the utmost purity." Our faith ought to be as 
lively as if we beheld Jesus. Christ in the Blessed 
Sacrament; and, although strictly speaking, He is 
imperceptible to the senses, yet, " we may truly 
touch Him" says St. Bernard ; " but, it is with 
the heart, and not with the senses — by faith, and 
not by the sight." 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 69 

" Profound humility" is the second virtue. O, 
when we think of the majesty of Jesus Christ, and 
our own utter vileness and misery, we must see, 
by the light of grace, how unworthy our souls are 
to become His temples, and like our Blessed Lady, 
who, when she became His tabernacle in the Incar- 
nation, burst forth in that sweet thanksgiving of 
her humility, the "Magnificat;" so must we, with 
much more reason own, that "He that is mighty" 
hath done great things for us, in choosing us as 
guests to His heavenly table. 

We ought, then, to humble ourselves sweetly 
before receiving Holy Communion, if we wish to 
attract the Lord Jesus into our souls. This was 
the practice of the Saints, many of whom, even at 
the hour of death, after having lost their physical 
strength, with but a mere breath of life remaining, 
would, when the Holy Viaticum was brought to 
them, cast themselves out of their bed to prostrate 
on the floor; their humility, seemingly, struggled to 
make one final effort — and there and thus, over- 
whelmed with the thoughts of their own baseness, 
adored the Holy Host. 

Lastly, we should bring the utmost purity of 
conscience to the reception of Holy Communion. 
Every fault and imperfection should be atoned 
for, and we, who communicate so frequently, 



yo FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

should studiously avoid everything that would 
render us less worthy of participating in this 
heavenly Food. 

Our lives should be a continual preparation for 
its reception, and all our actions performed with so 
pure an intention as to serve to fit us, in some 
degree, for the coming of our divine Guest. 

The desire of frequent communion should lead 
us to an imitation of the life of Jesus, as the 
desire of imitating Him should inspire us with a 
craving after Holy Communion. According to our 
Lord's own declaration — " The branch cannot bear 
fruit of itself, unless it abide in the Vine" — neither 
can we, unless we abide in Him by the Holy 
Communion : thus, not only should we cultivate 
His spirit and His virtues before receiving Him, 
but also afterwards ; for He comes to us in the 
Eucharist, to point the way that leads to perfec- 
tion, and to impart to us strength to pursue it, 
despite the weakness of our nature. 

If we truly desire that our communions should 
sanctify us, we will spare no pains in making our 
thanksgiving, which is the time for obtaining all 
graces from Jesus — so that a moment of it should 
not be lost. This is the interval of supreme joy 
to the religious soul, who places all her happiness 
in union with her beloved Spouse. Thus, the 



REV. MOTHER McAVLEY. J\ 

Blessed John Berchmans (now Saint) touched with 
a feeling sense of the sweetness of this holy time, 
said affectionately to our Lord: "0, my dear Mas- 
ter, what is there after the reception of Holy Commu- 
nion, zvhich can give me sweetness and contentment?" 

But after all, the best thanksgiving consists in 
amendment of life, — practising silence, meekness, 
charity, humility, and generosity. 

To know whether we are deriving profit from 
the Holy Communion, St. F. de Sales gives a 
sign, whereby we may judge. He says: " If you 
become, by means of the Holy Communion, very 
gentle — since that virtue is proper to this Sacra- 
ment, which is all gentleness, all sweetness, all 
honey — you will draw that fruit which belongs to 
it, and thus you will be making progress. " 

Consequently, if you do not become at all 
more humble, or more gentle, you deserve that 
the " Bread " be taken from you, since you do 
not labor to make yourself worthy of it. 



FAMILIAR ISSTRUCTIOXS OF 



CHAPTER XI. 

ON DEVOTION TO THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST, TO THE 

BLESSED SACRAMENT, AND TO THE SACRED 

HEART OF JESUS 

"POSSIBLY there is no devotion mentioned in 
our holy Rule, for our loving cultivation, 
which is a more fruitful source of grace and vir- 
tue, than that of the Passion of our dear Lord. 

St. Bernard declares that the mere thought of 
the Passion is a spiritual communion. And Father 
Balthazer Alvarez not only made it the ordinary 
subject of his meditation, but used to say to his 
nov M We must not think we have accom- 

plished anything until we reach this point : that 
we never in our hearts forget Christ crucified. ,, 

" Nothing conduces more to sanctity," says St. 
Bonaventure, " than frequent consideration on the 
sufferings of Jesus." While, our Lord Himself 
declared to St. Gertrude, that there is no remedy 
on earth so efficacious against sin, as a devout 
recollection of His Passion, joined with true 
repentance and a right faith. 

Let us then often fly to the foot of the cross, 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 73 

and repose in the wounds of Jesus. He has writ- 
ten us in His hands — shall we not write His wounds 
on our minds and hearts ? Shall we not say with 
St. Augustine : " These wounds are my refuge, 
my hope, my salvation, my life, my resurrection/' 

The advantages derived from meditating on 
the Passion are as follows : 

1st. It enkindles the fire of divine love by 
representing Jesus Christ in so amiable and mer- 
ciful a light, as to attract the heart most power- 
fully to Him. 

2d. It teaches us all virtues, by the example 
more than by the words of our Divine Lord. 

3d. It leads to a spirit of penance. 

The practices of devotion to the Passion are, 
especially, the four following, — named in our holy 
Rule: 

1st. Recalling it frequently to mind, and medi- 
tating on the different circumstances of it. 

2d. Offering the fatigues and mortifications 
which we undergo in union with the sufferings of 
our Crucified Spouse. 

3d. Making some part of the Passion the 
subject of our meditation on Fridays. 

4th. Adoring Jesus Christ at three o'clock on 
Fridays, and reciting five Paters and Aves in 
honor of His sacred wounds. 



74 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

We would do well to consider the manner in 
which we should meditate on our Lord's Passion. 
The Blessed Albertus Magnus tells us, that one 
tear shed over our Lord's sufferings is better than 
a year's fast on bread and water, with watchings 
and disciplines — still, this devotion is not one of 
mere sentiment. To be solid, it must be fruitful 
in virtues and good works ; more, it must lead to 
denial of the senses, humility of heart, sweetness 
of manner, conformity to the Divine will — patience 
in contradiction, deference to others, and love of 
silence. Hence, when these virtues are wanting, 
there can be no solid devotion to the Passion, since 
it is devoid of the fruit naturally produced by 
meditation on the examples given to us by our 
Divine model. 

The second section of this same Rule proposes 
as the constant object of our affection and devo- 
tion, Jesus Christ, really present in the most Holy 
Eucharist. 

Even if we were not bound by our holy Rule 
to embrace this truly sweet devotion, gratitude to 
our dearest Lord, for this heavenly Gift, should 
urge and impel us to cherish it, and frequently, 
and lovingly and fervently, to pay Him our hum- 
ble visits. 

Oh, what a mystery of love it is, that our most 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 75 

dear Lord should conceal Himself in the Blessed 
Sacrament for our consolation ! What would the 
earth be without Him, who is the source of every 
good ? It would verily be a dreary desert, and our 
weary spirits would be without strength or refresh- 
ment to press onward their course to the heavenly 
Sion. 

The advantages of devotion to the Blessed 
Sacrament are : 

First. If we present ourselves as we ought 
before Jesus in the Sacrament of His Love — that 
is, with a lively faith — our souls will be enriched 
with His choicest graces. 

Second. Every desire of our hearts will be 
satisfied — not, perhaps, according to our views, but 
in keeping with the all-loving designs of our divine 
Spouse. 

For instance, some may go to Him to ask for 
patience, and He may see that they need humility 
more, and that this is the cause of their failing in 
sweetness. Therefore, He inspires them with a 
love of humility, a desire of imitating His humilia- 
tions ; and is not this grace more precious and 
necessary than the one for which they begged? 

Third. It produces two delightful feelings — by 
the sight of the perfections of Jesus, by the love 
of His infinite goodness. Now what does this 



76 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

view of Jesus produce? A repose, a sweetness, an 
admiration, a desire of copying His virtues, 
which no words can describe, while the love of 
His goodness inspires a zeal to have Him more 
honored and glorified, better loved and served by- 
all His creatures, and finally, leads to generous 
efforts in laboring for this end. 

The practices of this sweet devotion, and called 
for in our holy Rule, are : 

First. Frequent reflections on the infinite char- 
ity displayed for us in the most Holy Sacra- 
ment. 

Now, we can comply with this point, by mak- 
ing a fervent consideration on the love which Jesus 
exhibits to us in this Sacrament of Charity — some- 
times in our preparation for, or thanksgiving after, 
Holy Communion, in our visits, or at any other 
convenient time. 

We are exhorted to pay assiduous court to our 
Heavenly Spouse, on the throne of His love, by 
frequent visits, and then to unite our acts of ado- 
ration, praise, thanksgiving and homage, to those 
of the angels who continually wait on Him in the 
Tabernacle. 

Oh, how supremely wonderful it is, that our 
dear Lord should so love us as to count it nothing 
to remain, for our sake, shut up within the Taber- 



REV. MOTHER McAULEV. JJ 

nacle ! which a holy author styles the " Prison-house 
of Love!' 

Let us then, say to Him, with all the fervor 
of our souls : " O sweetest Jesus ! since Thou 
lovest the children of men so passionately as to 
place Thy delight in being with them, all our joy, 
henceforth, will consist in remaining with Thee." 

As the frequency of our visits is regulated for 
us by our customs and holy Obedience, our one 
care should be to profit of the few minutes allowed 
us, at each visit, for conversing with our Lord. 
One of our visits every day should be offered for 
the intention of preserving the Blessed Sacrament 
from irreverence all over the world, and also, from 
unworthy Communions. To animate our devotion, 
we may visit our dearest Lord, in various ways. 
Sometimes, to petition for graces; again, to listen 
to Him speaking to our hearts ; at one time, to 
study His virtues ; at another, to seek shelter with 
Him from temptation. 

Then, according to the mystery of the season, 
we can visit Him in a different spirit, either of 
sorrowing compassion for His sufferings, or of 
joyous exultation at His triumphs ; or again, of 
repentance, of thanksgiving, of intercession, etc. 

Oh ! what priceless riches does not a spirit of 
prayer find in these loving visits : there being an 



y8 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

unction and a power in the very presence of the 
most Holy Sacrament, which is beyond all words. 

In our sufferings, we are to seek comfort from 
our Lord, in the Sacrament of His Love, accord- 
ing to our holy Rule. Let us not, then, have 
recourse to creatures first, in our difficulties and 
temptations, but go to Him, who alone can soothe 
our sorrows and lighten their weight. 

He condescends to invite us. Will he repel us 
when we approach ? Oh, no ! He will speak to 
our hearts the most loving words of consolation. 
He will tell us to be of good courage, not to 
fear, that it is He, our most amiable Spouse, who 
permits these sufferings of mind or body, and 
that He will support us, and be our reward exceed- 
ing great. Then, we will exclaim with the devout 
a Kempis : " Verily, Thou art my peace-maker, in 
whom is sovereign peace and true rest; out of whom is 
labor, and sorrow, and endless misery. For who is he, 
that, approaching humbly to the fountain of sweetness, 
does not carry away zvith him some little sweetness ? 
or, who, standing by a great fire, does not receive from 
it some little heat. Nozv, Thou art a fountain always 
full and overflowing : Thou art a fire always burning 
and never decaying!' 

The loving Heart of our Divine Spouse on 
earth, so laden with the sorrows of His humanity, 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 79 

in heaven, so overflowing with the joys of His 
Divinity, is proposed to us by our holy Rule, as 
an object of our tenderest devotion and love ; the 
most attractive, as well as the most fruitful in vir- 
tue, that could be offered. In the Adorable Sac- 
rament, this most holy Heart is a fountain of joy, 
peace, consolation, and grace, to all who lovingly 
approach It, in the spirit of faith, humility and 
reverence. 

The very institution of the Blessed Eucharist, 
and the sufferings which Jesus endured in His 
dolorous passion and death, owed their origin to 
the burning love which inflamed His Sacred 
Heart. 

Surrounded as we are with dangers and temp- 
tations, full of imperfection and misery, where will 
we seek refuge, if not in the Heart of our dear 
Lord? 

This sacred Asylum is ever open to the con- 
trite and humble, and if we approach It with 
these dispositions, we will undoubtedly draw from 
It that strength and grace which will enable us 
to become truly fervent and faithful Religious. 

But let us remember, if we wish to be genuine 
disciples of the Sacred Heart, we must learn those 
virtues which particularly characterize It. These 
are, according to the words of Jesus, meekness 



SO FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

and humility. "Learn of Me, because I am meek and 
humble of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls!' 

Christ Himself is the Divine Master in this 
school of virtue, and how quickly is that science 
acquired, which our Lord Himself teaches. 

Then look at the example He proposes; no 
other than His own. Who could so justly require 
us to practise these difficult lessons, as He, whose 
whole life was one continual lesson of them ; and 
He can sweeten their bitterness, that is, the dif- 
ficulty of acquiring them, by His grace, and 
change these momentary pains into eternal delights. 

Advantages of this devotion are: it gives rest 
\o the soul, by imparting a peace and a security, 
a heavenly composure, which all the joys of earth 
can never give. Our Lord said to venerable Mar- 
garet M. Alacoque : "This devotion is the source 
of immense graces, which I will give to those 
souls who come to seek them in my heart." 

The object of this devotion is to increase the 
glory of Jesus who died on the cross, and of 
His loving heart, all on fire, as it is, with love for 
us in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar ; and 
to quote the words of our holy Rule: "To atone 
for the outrages suffered by Him!' 

Oh ! how r much is here for our atoning love to 
feed on ! What varieties of dishonor are heaped 



REV. MOTHER McAULEV. 8 1 

on Him, in this most sweet Sacrament. How 
many do not believe in His dwelling amongst 
us; and how many of those who do believe, 
wound Him by their coldness and irreverences ; 
even we, ourselves, His chosen spouses, are often 
weary and perhaps distracted at Mass, though 
our faith tells us we are as much in His sacred 
presence, as if we had stood with our Blessed 
Lady and St. John, at the foot of the Cross on 
Calvary. And let us ask ourselves, are our holy 
communions all that we could desire in the way 
of preparation, or of thanksgiving, or of fervor 
in the receiving? Are our visits like so many 
colloquies with the Sacred Heart; sometimes 
mourning over the daily dishonor which It suffers; 
at others, rejoicing with overflowing hearts at the 
love, which faithful souls bear to Him in this Sacra- 
ment of His love ? We shall have much to do to 
repair all these faults : but our dearest Lord will 
almost forget them, if we endeavor by acts of repa- 
ration, and by future fidelity, to make atonement. 

Let us then, cherish devotion to this meek and 
humble Heart — it will soften many a sorrow, and 
preserve us from many an imperfection. 

When neglected, and perhaps forgotten, let us 
think of the Sacred Heart in the Blessed Sacrament, 
and love to be like It. In grief, let us unite 



82 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

ourselves with that Heart, which was " sorrozvful 
even unto death!' When alone, let us unite our 
solitude with that of the Sacred Heart in Its exile 
of Love — the Blessed Sacrament. 

It was from this Ocean of Goodness, that St. 
Francis de Sales drew his wonderful sweetness. And 
St. Francis Borgia's earthly wants contributed to 
inspire him with holy aspirations to that Sacred 
Heart. Like this Saint, when we approach a fire, 
could we not beg of Jesus to consume our souls with 
His love — when thirsty, to ask Him, through His 
Sacred Heart, to be allowed to drink, one day, of the 
torrent of His delights, and thus, make a most holy 
use of these necessities, to which we are subject. 

St. Bonaventure remarks : " Whoever wishes to 
increase always in virtue and grace, should medi- 
tate without ceasing, on the Passion of Christ/' 
And our Lord said once to Blessed Angela — 
" Whosoever wishes to find grace, let him never take 
his eyes from the Cross, whether My Providence be 
visiting him with sorrow or joy y 

The angels revealed to St. John of the Cross, 
that the Divine Majesty took such complacency 
in sorrow for the Passion of Christ, and that such 
sorrow was so grateful a Sacrifice, as to be com- 
mensurate to the shedding of our blood, or the 
endurance of great affliction. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 83 



CHAPTER XII. 

OF DEVOTION TO THE B. V. MARY. 

CTHE first section of this Rule reminds us, that 
devotion to Our Blessed Lady has ever been 
cherished by Religious, and from this fact, we are 
led to observe how we, above all others, are 
specially bound to cultivate it, as members of an 
Order which claims her as principal Protectress. 

The marks or characteristics of this beautiful 
devotion, are reduced by spiritual writers, to three, 
viz., respect, confidence, and love. 

1st. Respect for her exalted and sublime vir- 
tues. 

Her dignity is expressed in one title — Mother 
of God ; and to render her worthy, at least in 
some degree, of that singular honor, the wisdom, 
power and goodness of the three Divine Persons 
of the August Trinity, concurred to adorn her 
soul with every grace and virtue, suitable to her 
sublime prerogatives. 

2d. Confidence. — Our Divine Lord so loves His 
Blessed Mother, that He refuses nothing which 
she asks. He ever delights in hearing her prayers, 



84 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

because they are always holy, . always accord- 
ing to His Will, and best for us ; and so her 
charity inspires her continually to ask graces in 
our behalf — hence, it is on these grounds, that 
confidence in Mary is based. 

Let us then go to her, as one who can most 
readily unlock the treasury of God's grace ; and 
if we find ourselves subject to some failing, which 
we have tried, but in vain, to conquer — or if there 
be some spiritual blessing which we need, but for 
which we have not the courage and generosity to 
labor — let us have recourse, with unshaken confi- 
dece, to this powerful Queen, and she will assur- 
edly obtain for us victory over our enemies. 

3d. Love. — This characteristic of devotion to 
Mary, our dearest Mother, is especially dwelt on 
in our holy Rule, where it says: "The Sisters 
shall ahvays have the zvarmest and most affection- 
ate devotion to her, regarding her in a special man- 
ner as their Mother." 

We will surely have this loving devotion, if .we 
pray for it, and do all we can to acquire it — 
reflecting on the many claims she has to our 
affectionate gratitude. 

The motive for acquiring this devotion, ought 
to animate us to use every effort for its attainment ; 
that we may be enabled, through her intercession, to 



REV. MOTHER McAULEV. 85 

fulfil the obligations of our holy Institute, and to 
implant Jesus Christ in the hearts of the poor, 
whom we have to instruct. 

The advantages of devotion to our Blessed 
Lady, are manifold. 

1st. As this heavenly Queen is never outdone 
in generosity, she allows not the smallest mark of 
honor paid to her, to pass without reward. Thus', 
how many leading sinful lives have been finally 
converted, in recompense for some trivial act of 
devotion performed for Mary's love. 

2d. We cannot look long and lovingly at 
her virtues without being incited to copy them in 
our lives and conduct ; and as St. Paul pronounces 
those who are conformable to Jesus to be predes- 
tined to eternal happiness, so, the faithful imitators 
of Mary, who was the most like to her Divine 
Son, may confidently expect to share, hereafter, in 
her bliss and glory. 

3d. The hour of death, so dreaded by most 
persons, is the hour of supreme joy to our Lady's 
clients. 

Then, indeed, do they begin to feel how sweet 
it is to have lived her servants, — how powerful her 
protection is, — from how many dangers she shielded 
them, how many good gifts they obtained through 
her intercession, — nay, that every favor they have 



86 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

received from God, passed through her merciful 
hands. 

In keeping with our holy Rule, we are to have 
unbounded confidence in the Blessed Virgin, that 
we are to fly to her in all our difficulties and 
spiritual needs ; and as a most efficacious means 
of securing her protection, that we are to labor in 
earnest to imitate her virtues— her universal charity, 
her untiring patience, her profound humility, her 
unlimited obedience, her perfect conformity. 

Another practice, our holy Rule mentions, is, 
that we are to celebrate her Feasts with joy and 
devotion, congratulating her on her exalted privi- 
leges, exulting in her glory, which is ever increas- 
ing, by the devotion of her children on earth, 
rejoicing that she has won the Heart of God 
Himself, so that in her He takes delight. 

We are admonished in this Rule, to impress on 
the minds of all whom we can influence, the great- 
est respect, veneration and love for this most holy 
Virgin. 

We have many opportunities of complying with 
this injunction, there being none of us who cannot 
by an occasional remark draw hearts to her love 
and service. 

The Rosary is & devotion prescribed for us, 
and the five decades we do recite daily, ought to 



REV. MOTHER McAVLEY. 



87 



be said with great fervor. It would indeed be sad, 
if we performed this devotion carelessly, which has 
ever been the fruitful source of benediction to the 
devout clients of Mary. 

Let us lay to heart the words of Father Faber, 
viz., "To neglect devotion to Mary is to wound 
Jesus, because she is His Mother." Also: "Devo- 
tion to the Blessed Virgin is the true imitation of 
Jesus." 




88 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER XIII. 

OF THE PERFECTION OF OUR ORDINARY ACTIONS. 

{q\F all the chapters in our holy Rule, none, or at 
least few, seem more explicit, or enter more 
fully into detail, than this one on the "perfection 
of our ordinary actions!' 

It embraces every action of the day, and clearly 
points out how it is to be performed, in order to 
please God. We are told : 

First. That our perfection does not consist in 
performing extraordinary actions, but rather in 
performing extraordinary well, the ordinary actions 
of every day. We need not, then, seek for diffi- 
cult works, laborious duties, multiplied spiritual 
exercises; we have in the daily duties, the means 
of attaining the highest sanctity. " Each action," 
to use the words of a devout author, " is all full 
of God, breathes of God, shines with God, is fra- 
grant of God, and a recognition of His will in the 
direction of Obedience. " 

Second. Our ordinary duties should be per- 
formed, according to the teaching of our holy Rule, 
" With all possible care and attention/' none of 
which should be deemed trivial or unimportant, 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 89 

for in Religion "little things'" are of great impor- 
tance. We gain more supernatural glory in them 
than in great things, because more fortitude is» 
requisite, as they are continual and insignificant, 
and our spirit is more effectually taken captive by 
them. 

There is no room for vainglory in " little things" 
and thus there is a great deal for the glory of 
God. 

In a word, regularity, littleness, exactness and 
obscurity are the only roads to solid virtue, and 
these are implied in fidelity to little things, which 
is a true martyrdom of love. We need not fear 
for our predestination to glory, if we perform the 
actions of each day with all possible care. But 
how, we may ask, are we to do this ? The third 
section of this Rule gives us the means, viz., by 
having the purest intention of pleasing God in all 
our works, so that, independent of what we do, our 
every intention may be a worship of Him. 

After all, what advantage are works to God ? 
but our working hearts He longs for, and He 
vouchsafes to plead for them with touching earn- 
estness. 

It is, therefore, of the utmost importance to 
have a pure intention in our actions, for it renders 
the most indifferent works full of merit, whereas, . 



go FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

the absence of it destroys the value of even the 
most heroic. 

So essential is purity of intention deemed, 
that we are warned not to consider it simply as a 
devotional or pious practice, but, as an essential 
devotion of Religion. It is not optional with us 
f o adopt it or not ; it is of obligation, as much as 
any other practice of the Institute. Hence, we 
should never act from motives of self-love, to 
please creatures, or with an intention of edifying 
others, for, though we must take great pains not 
to disedify, it would be dangerous to give special 
attention to edify; these two things are very dif- 
ferent, though often confounded. If, as our holy 
Rule says, all our actions are performed with reg- 
ularity and exactness, if they are referred, with 
the utmost fervor, to the Divine honor and glory, 
united with the most holy actions and infinite 
merits of our Lord, they can scarcely fail to edify 
others, without our being at all aware of it, which 
is best for us, inasmuch as it shields us from 
vainglory, human respect, and many great faults. 

Now, to come to the practise of this virtue, 
we are required to make not only a general offer- 
ing in the morning, of all our works, but also, to 
renew this offering frequently; that is, before the 
chief actions of the day, remembering the advice 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 9 1 

of the Apostle : " Whether you eat, or whether 
you drink, or whatever else you do, do it all for 
the glory of God, and in the name of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ." 

Means by which we may attain this heavenly 
virtue are : 

1st. Looking to God, simply and lovingly, in 
all our works, according to our holy Rule. 

2d. To keep in mind that it is not so much on 
what we do, as on the manner in which we do it, 
that judgment will be pronounced. 

3d. To do each work as if it were the only 
one we had to perform. This involves great per- 
fection; for we are naturally anxious to hasten 
with things, in order to undertake other duties, 
so that, it is a real mortification to our natural 
activity to be restrained and confined to the one 
action, in which we are engaged. Still, it is the 
only means of performing our actions well; con- 
sequently, it must be most pleasing to God, since 
it is an imitation of the manner in which He, Him-* 
self, vouchsafed to work, slowly and perfectly. Our 
actions will then be performed in a most finished 
manner — will be entire, and like fine gold, resembling 
the actions of Jesus and Mary on earth; nay, they 
will be as so many voices speaking to God, by their 
adoration of His ineffable purity and sanctity. 



92 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

4th. To fulfil the duties of every day, as if, at 
its close, we were certain of being called before 
God's awful tribunal. Oh ! how peaceful the 
death-bed of a Religious, who acquits herself of 
her daily duties in this disposition ; she has nothing 
to fear, but on the contrary, everything to hope 
from the Master, whom she has served so faith- 
fully and fervently. 

The marks by which we may judge if our 
intention is pure, are: 1st, If we rejoice as much 
when the glory of God is promoted by others as 
when effected by ourselves. 2d, If we remain 
tranquil and composed, even when things do not 
succeed with us. This is the case with those who 
behold the will of God in every event, adverse or 
prosperous. The good pleasure of our Heavenly 
Spouse, and not our own success, should be the 
end of all our actions. Wherefore, we ought 
carefully to shun all motives that tend to divert 
us from this pure and holy principle. 

The advantages of purity of intention are : 

1st. That it ennobles and sanctifies even the 
least spiritual of our actions, rendering them holy 
and agreeable in the eyes of God. 

2d. It is the fulfilment of the great end of our 
creation, since this is no other than to serve God. 

3d. It is a commencement of the life we hope 



RE V. MOTHER McAULEF. 93 

to lead hereafter in heaven, which will be a con- 
tinual praise of the infinite goodness of God. 

4th. It produces great recollection ; and what 
else is continual recollection, but a life of contin- 
ual holiness. 

The motives for endeavoring to acquire this 
purity of intention are : 

1st. Love and esteem of our holy Rule, which 
is the declaration of God's will in our regard. 

2d. The desire of glorifying God in all our 
works. 

3d. Our own sanctification, since this virtue 
is inseparable from the perfection to which we are 
bound to aim. 



c^^^j? 



94 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER XIV. 

OF THE EMPLOYMENT OF TIME. 

CTIME is the purchase money of eternity; and as 
our holy Rule remarks: "Every moment of 
our precious time must be accounted for in judg- 
ment." 

How important for us then, to spare no pains 
in acquiring a habit of spending our time well, 
especially when we remember how swiftly it 
passes, and how readily a habit of misspending it 
is contracted. In general, Religious are considered 
to be more or less delivered from the danger of 
losing time. This is owing, in no slight degree, to 
the preservation from idleness, which Rule and 
Community life ensure. But, yet, even Religious 
may lose, or what is almost the same thing, mis- 
spend their time, if they be not on their guard, 
How is this? By not employing it exactly in the 
manner prescribed by holy Obedience. 

Worldlings may be at a loss, as to how they 
should be engaged, but we have a most unerring 
guide in the directions we receive, and if faithful 
in following them, we shall certainly acquire immense 
merit before God. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEF. 95 

Our holy Rule says: we must always be engaged 
in some useful employment: no moments are to be 
lost, for every one of them is purchased with the 
Blood of Jesus Christ. 

Whatever time we have to spare from our dif- 
ferent appointed duties, is not to be passed accord- 
ing to our own taste, but in keeping with the 
adorable will of God, made known to us through 
our Superior. 

Oh, how happy ! how blessed, the Religious 
who acts thus ! She has nothing to answer for, 
nothing to apprehend, because she fulfils so per- 
fectly, the will of Him, who came down on earth 
not to do His own will, but the will of Him who 
sent Him. And after all, what occupation can be 
more advantageous than that which Providence 
assigns us ? 

Let us then cherish this sweet dependence on 
the will of God, since it is the straight path to* 
Heaven, the securest way, the certain guide to glory. 

This same Rule also speaks of the deportment 
we should try to acquire; it should be so sweet, 
grave and modest, as to distinguish *us from secu- 
lars, and to preach with silent eloquence, the 
presence of God. 

Precipitate movements, much action, or gestures 
when speaking, hurried- steps, and boisterous 



96 FAMILIAR INSTR UCTIONS OF 

laughter, are all opposed to this religious deport- 
ment, and should be studiously avoided. 

The great secret of acquiring this edifying 
demeanor is to aim at keeping the soul united 
with God, and according to St. Paul, " To bear in 
our bodies the mortification of Christ;" thus, in 
imitation of our Divine Model, and for His sweet 
sake, we will, generally speaking, keep the eyes 
cast down, never look fixedly at those whom we 
address, for this, even in the world, is considered 
rude, because it is exceedingly embarrassing. 

We should labor continually to subject nature 
to grace, by a universal guard over our exterior: 
this, in a few words, contains the practice of relig- 
ious modesty. 

Now let us consider attentively the means and 
motives essential for acquiring it. 

ist. Recollection, which is one of the best 
aids to arrive at sanctity. 

2d. A religious simplicity, which shuns all 
affectation in words or manner. 

3d. Zeal for the glory of God. This will urge the 
religious soul to overcome all defects of manner, 
which are calculated to repel, rather than attract 
others. 

4th. A desire of fulfilling the Divine Will — 
manifested by our holy Rule. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 97 

The advantages are : 

ist.. It subjects all in us to the dominion of 
God, so that every movement and word is directed 
and devoted to His sweet and holy love. 

2d. It maintains charity, by avoiding impolite- 
ness, or whatever is calculated to offend our neigh- 
bor. 

3d. It merits immense graces and correspond- 
ing degrees of glory — because it implies continual 
interior and exterior mortification. 

With regard to the " Horarium," or distribution 
of time, we have only to consider that it is the 
expression of God's will, and as such, deserves 
our undeviating fidelity. Nothing is more edifying 
than to see a religious community, like one body, 
repairing to the various duties at the appointed time. 
Behold in this, an image of Paradise, and also, that 
it distinguished a Convent from a secular house. 

The advantages of having our time thus regu- 
lated, are many : 

ist. It confirms the will — naturally so volatile 
— in good resolutions. 

2d. It delivers us from the care of arranging 
our time and occupations — also, affords innumer- 
able occasions of sacrificing our ease, inclina- 
tions, and love of liberty, by subjecting us to 
little restraints. 



98 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

3d. It is a ceaseless tribute of praise to the 
Majesty of God — acknowledging Him, as the 
Master of our time, by thus referring to His 
glory, our every occupation. On this subject, we 
may cite from the Saints ; for instance, St. Ber- 
nardine, of Sienna: "A moment of time is of as 
much value as God, because in each moment we 
can gain His friendship, or a greater degree of 
grace. ,, And St. Teresa, admirably remarks, " that 
works of the active life, when they spring from 
Divine love, are the highest perfection!' 




-«^K~^X^^ 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 99 



CHAPTER XV 



OF SILENCE. 



CTILENCE is elegantly styled in this Rule, "As 
the ornament of religions souls, and the faithful 
guardian of interior recollection!' Let us study 
well this inspired enconium, and we shall eventu- 
ally come to admire, to love, and finally to prac- 
tise, in all its perfection, this most heavenly 
virtue. Now, what does an ornament mean ? It 
implies an embellishment, an adornment, a some- 
thing added, which heightens the value and beauty 
of an article. Wherefore, the unmistakable orna- 
ment of a religious soul, is holy silence : it is that 
which attracts the heavenly Spouse to take up His 
dwelling in her interior — where no voice save His 
own is heard — where all is joy and peace in the 
Holy Ghost. 

If worldlings love to array themselves in jewels 
and vain ornaments to please the eye of creatures, 
shall not we, with a higher and holier ambition, 
study to adorn our souls with the virtue which 
Jesus loves so well— that of silence. Our holy 
Rule designates it " The faithful guardian of inte- 
rior recollection, ,, and so it undoubtedly is, when 



100 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

rightly understood and practised. Those who are 
most interior and spiritual, are remarkable for their 
fidelity to silence : there is a solemnity about its 
observance, a certain calm and peace, which leave 
the soul full of liberty to converse interiorly with 
God, to correspond with inspirations, and in fine, 
to practise all virtues. 

The necessity of silence is proved by the Gos- 
pel, viz., " For every idle word that men shall speak 
they shall render an account at the day of Judg- 
ment." 

What are idle words? Those which have no 
good end, those which are unprofitable, those 
which dissipate the mind and heart. 

St. James places all sanctity in the observance 
of silence: " If any man offend not in word, the 
same is a perfect man." St. Francis de Sales, as if 
to evince the high estimate in which he held 
silence, made a compact with his tongue. But 
above, and before all the saints, our Divine Lord, 
from His incarnation to His death, practised most 
perfectly this virtue. He assumed our nature in 
the stillness of night, and though [He was the 
" Word," He spoke not, but was silent. 

Then we are told that more than monastic 
silence reigned in the holy house of Nazareth, 
with Jesus, Mary and Joseph: that the blessed 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 10 1 

foster-father spoke little, our Immaculate Lady- 
less, and that Jesus scarcely spoke at all. Even 
in the Blessed Sacrament, He so loves His char- 
acteristic silence, that He descends from heaven in 
silence, obeys in silence, is immolated in silence, 
and in silence is consumed, so that we can think 
of nothing more silent than the Blessed Sacra- 
ment. However, the silence of Jesus was never 
sullen or unamiable, — there was a sweetness about 
His words and countenance, which no saint ever 
had in like manner, before or since. 

We are aware that without silence there can 
be no regularity or order in the beauty of God's 
house ; that there can be no true obedience, no 
charity and union, no recollection and prayer, where 
silence is neglected. 

To observe silence well, we must consider how 
it is to be practised, namely : the times, places, 
and manner mentioned in our holy Rule. 

ist. It tells us that we are to observe it as 
much as circumstances permit, except at the times 
appointed for recreation. By this, we are to under- 
stand that there are circumstances in which we 
are not bound to keep silence, — such as if engaged 
in the school, or if called to the parlor, — in a word, 
whenever duty, necessity, charity, or obedience 
obliges us to speak ; then to do so in a low tone 



102 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

of voice, as briefly as possible, and endeavor to 
keep interior recollection. 

The places in which silence is particularly to 
be observed, are the dormitory or cells, the chapel, 
and during meals in the refectory. 

The advantages of silence cannot be disputed ; 
for it preserves peace and purity of soul, and is 
the best possible means of attaining a spirit of 
prayer, and union with God. 

All who have a true spirit of prayer are lovers 
of silence : witness the Saints in the desert ! More- 
over, it enables us to cultivate all virtues, espe- 
cially humility, meekness and patience. 

It is a school wherein we learn how to speak ; 
and Religious need this particularly, for their words 
should abound in wisdom, sweetness and forbear- 
ance. In silence, all great mysteries are operated, 
and in silence, God will work in our interior, if 
we allow Him. It also enables us to find solitude 
everywhere, and edifies all with whom we asso- 
ciate ; makes us avoid many faults and practise 
much virtue. 

The obstacles to silence are curiosity, human 
respect and self-love. 

The means to acquire a habit of it are: 

1st. Reflection on the life of Jesus Christ. 

2d. Prayer, especially to those Saints who were 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. IO3 

most remarkable for its observance, namely: St. 
M. M. de Pazzi, St. Bernard, St. Aloysius, and St. 
Pambo, who never said a word he regretted. With 
regard to the recollection enjoined by the concluding 
words of this rule, we ought to weigh well its 
necessity. 

In order to ensure salvation, all Christians are 
bound to cultivate some degree of union of heart 
with God, but for us Religious, it is absolutely 
indispensable, especially, as by our vocation to 
this Order, we are destined to labor for souls. 
We are formed by God for Himself alone, to be 
united with Him here, by love and fidelity; and 
hereafter, by enjoyment and beatitude. In pro- 
portion then, to our union with God, will be our 
advancement in perfection ; and in proportion to 
our perfection here, will be our glory hereafter. 
Of each of us Christ says : "As the branch cannot 
bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so 
neither can you, unless you abide in Me." That 
is, unless we live in Jesus Christ by holy recol- 
lection, we can never draw souls to His love and 
service. And as the Apostle expresses it: "Paul 
may plant and Ap olios water, but it is God who^giveth 
the increase," therefore, God will give success only 
to those who are united with Him by love. 

The advantages of recollection are : 



104 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

1st. Familiarity with God, uniting us with Him- 
self, as one friend is united with another on earth. 
This familiarity is humble, while simple and confid- 
ing, thus : " My Beloved to me, and I to Him," or, 
"I will speak to my God, though I be but dust and 
ashes." 

2d. It imparts peace and tranquillity in all 
events, trials, labors, offices, etc., for in peace God 
speaks to the beloved. Witness the unutterable 
peace of St. Francis Xavier, St. Catharine of 
Sienna, in their ceaseless toils. They exemplified 
in their lives the beautiful sentiment of the Royal 
Prophet : "The Lord is the protector of my life : whom 
shall I fear" 

3d. Liberty of spirit, which raises us above the 
opinion of the world, human respect, self-love, 
worldly wisdom, while it enables the soul to see 
God intimately, to view all things in Him, and 
through, and subservient to Him. 

4th. Wonderful courage, generosity, and read- 
iness to labor. Of this we have examples in the 
lives of the Saints, particularly of St. F. Xavier 
and St. Teresa. 

This union is far from disposing to idleness or unfit- 
ness for occupation, for God labors with His spouse. 

5th. Great light and direction in all events, 
affairs, and temptations, St. Thomas and St. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 105 

Bonaventure assert this ; the Psalms prove it : 
" Lord, show me Your path." And Moses prayed ; 
" Lord, teach me how to speak, for I am but a 
child, and have no wisdom." 

6th. It procures an infinity of graces, and 
gives victory over all our enemies. To all this 
happiness we are called ; this treasure lies open 
to and near us : if we find it not, it must be 
entirely our own fault. The Holy Spirit invites us : 
" Open to me, my beloved, etc.," but we delay, 
we listen to self-love, to little personal interests, 
and when we arise to open to Him, He is gone, 
and we find ourselves alone. 

This union is continually fostered by ejacula- 
tions ; and, according to St. Liguori, those which are 
the most pleasing to God are acts of love, resigna- 
tion, and oblation of ourselves into His hands ; also, 
by frequently entering the Sacred Heart in spirit. 

The most efficacious practice of this union is 
to endeavor to keep ourselves in God's presence, 
united to Him by faith, knowing that He sees 
and hears us everywhere. This union should be 
humble and confiding, expecting and receiving all 
from His paternal bounty, and this disposition will 
produce a fervor without precipitation or self-will, 
a tranquillity without tardiness, an equanimity 
without rest. 



lo6 



FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER XVI 



OF UNION AND CHARITY. 



CTHE first words of this chapter: "Love one 
another as 1 have loved you" should be engraved 
on our inmost souls, and shown forth in our whole 
conduct. 

The great St. Francis de Sales beautifully ex- 
plains the import of these words, thus: "As our Lord 
has always preferred us to Himself, and has done 
so as often as He has given Himself to us in the 
Most Holy Sacrament, making Himself our food, 
so He wills us to have a love like His, one for 
another, and that we should even prefer our neigh- 
bor to ourselves. " 

The rule of perfection then requires that we do 
all that we possibly can one for another. 

Again, our love ought to be so firm, so cor- 
dial and so solid that we should never refuse to 
do or to suffer anything for the good of our Sis- 
ters. In this manner did Jesus Christ love us. 
He did not content Himself with assurances of 
His love, but gave effectual proofs of it by suffer- 
ings and labor. It was His favorite virtue, His 
dying bequest, and the mark He chose for the 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. I07 

characteristic of His disciples; and so perfectly 
does our Divine Master wish to have charity reign 
amongst us that He gives us for our model the 
union that subsists between Himself and His 
Heavenly Father. 

In the second section of this same rule we are 
told, that this mutual union and love should emi- 
nently distinguish Religious — that it should mark 
them out as true servants and spouses of Jesus 
Christ. 

Let charity then be our badge of honor, our 
highest glory, the seal of our election to the dig- 
nity of Christ's spouses, and therefore, we must — 
to use the words of the Apostle, " clothe ourselves, 
as the elect and beloved of God, with mercy, com- 
passion, kindness, humility, affability, modesty and 
patience," cherishing and maintaining this virtue 
more by acts than words, so that it may truly be 
said, there is in us but one heart and one soul in 
God — one mind, one mode of acting and thinking — 
having His glory and our own sanctification ever 
in view. Perfect obedience will alone secure this 
union of hearts and opinions, for where all are 
submissive to lawful authority for God's love, no 
dissensions can arise, no conflicting sentiments be 
entertained amongst us. 

Let us now consider the practice of charity • 



108 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Our holy Rule says : We are to avoid, in conver- 
sation, manner and conduct, whatever may in the 
least disturb our union. 

In our intercourse with each other we must 
copy the sweetness of Jesus; our words must be 
kind and gentle, amiable and polite. Our manner 
should be engaging and full of the unction of 
charity. Our very looks must be brought into 
subjection to grace. So necessary is vigilance 
over our external conduct deemed, that, when 
selecting the subject of our particular examen, St. 
Ignatius would have us first choose, not the fault 
that troubles us most, but the one which most 
annoys our neighbor, as it gives disedification. 

The Saints were remarkable for their practice 
of charity, which made them living images of 
Jesus : they had about them a sweetness, a gen- 
tleness, an affectionateness, which won the hardest 
hearts; and if we wish to grow in holiness we 
must walk in their steps. But, as our weakness is 
great, and our spiritual enemies numerous, the 
Holy Spirit prescribes for us, by our holy Rule, a 
remedy for any fault we may commit against char- 
ity, in our manner or conversation. This is simply 
to ask pardon, for even the slightest offence, and 
readily to forgive those who may seek this pardon 
of us. Should we, even inadvertently, wound the 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. IO9 

feelings of another, we should be prompt to make 
this reparation. 

Our holy Rule then reminds us that we are to 
help and assist one another, on all occasions ; that 
we are to bear with patience each other's defects, 
weaknesses and imperfections ; that all subjects of 
dispute are to be banished from amongst us, and 
that, should our opinion differ from that of others, 
we are to propose our reasons with moderation 
and charity. Attention to these points will secure 
our own and others' peace— in fine, it will cause 
our convent to be an earthly paradise. 

Consequently, we are not to indulge suspicions, 
jealousy or envy, but to regulate our conduct on 
this head by the noble description of charity given 
by St. Paul. On this subject St. Francis de Sales 
writes: "We ought never to look upon the actions 
of our neighbor except to remark the virtues that 
are in them — never their imperfections ; for so long 
as we are not in charge of others we must never 
turn our eyes, still less, our attention on that 

side." 

In doubtful matters, we ought to persuade our- 
selves that what we notice is not blameworthy, 
but rather, it is our own imperfections that cause 
such thoughts to arise in our minds ; thus, we shall 
avoid rash judgment, which is ever a most dangerous 



I IO FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

evil, and for which we ought to have a sovereign 
detestation. 

By the fifth section of this rule we find that 
God alone should be the motive of our love for 
each other. Our hearts are to be united in Him ; 
all are to be equally dear to us, because all are the 
spouses of Jesus, the cherished objects of His pre- 
dilection. 

Particular friendships, attachments and affec- 
tions are to be unknown amongst us ; all private 
parties and unions to be studiously shunned, as the 
fruitful source of innumerable evils. Let us be 
sweet and amiable towards all, and we will avoid 
these fatal rocks ; for if we look to the glory our 
lives may give to God, to the edification we owe 
to others, and to our own sanctification, we shall 
perceive that nothing can rank in importance to 
gentleness of manner and sweetness of demeanor 
towards others. 

The necessity of charity is proved from the 
words of our Lord, when He reduced all the com- 
mandments to these two, viz., the love of God, 
and the love of our neighbor; and also from the 
precept he enjoined at His last supper with His 
Apostles : " Love one another as I have loved you." 
This virtue is alone sufficient for salvation — it 
covers a multitude of sins. 



REV. MOTHER McA ULEY. 1 1 1 

The advantages of charity are : it gives entrance 
into the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it makes us enjoy 
peace of soul, it edifies all with whom we associate. 

The obstacles to this sweet virtue are pride, 
sloth, deficiency in the love of God, want of the 
spirit of recollection and prayer. 

The means of acquiring it are humility, respect- 
ing and loving all in Jesus. Generous forgetful- 
ness of self. The Apostle sums up the whole of 
our Lord's life in two words, namely: " He pleased 
not Himself" and this implies the most unreserved 
self-denial and the most perfect charity. 

St. Teresa tells us : " We must leave God for 
God," that is, we must be ready to quit even prayer 
in order to find God in assisting our neighbor. 

This is no other than to practise a generous- 
forgetfulness of self. 

Another means is prayer. We should beg of 
God to clothe us with charity as with a garment, 
especially when approaching Holy Communion; so- 
that we should dread entertaining the slightest 
uncharitableness or unkindly feeling towards an- 
other, as this would render us unworthy to* 
approach this Sacrament of Love. 

And let us remember the maxim : " We cannot 
love charity without charity" — the love must be 
there before it is exercised. 



112 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER XVII. 

OF HUMILITY. 

r XTOW truly does our holy Rule observe that 
humility is the abridgment of all the disci- 
pline of the Religious life; for it is assuredly the 
short road to perfection ; no other virtue can flourish 
without it, no sanctity can be attained, unless the 
groundwork is first laid. 

If we wish, then, to be really servants of Christ, 
and deserving of His love, we will, according to 
the admonition given to us, be particularly atten- 
tive to the practice of humility ; remark the word 
"practice" for humility does not consist in words 
but in acts — to be genuine it must be practical. 

A religious life, being an imitation of Jesus 
Christ, must necessarily be a continual exercise of 
all the virtues ; but especially of humility, which 
our Lord practised so perfectly, that St. Paul 
says : " He annihilated Himself, taking the form of 
a servant." 

If we considered Him in His Incarnation, Nativ- 
ity and Hidden Life, and above all, in His Sacred 
Passion, we should at once see that humility accom- 
panied His every word and action : wherefore, we 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 13 

are commanded to perform all our duties in the 
spirit of the most profound, sincere, and unaffected 
humility. 

In order to fulfil this precept, let us consider 
in what the spirit of humility consists. 

" To perform an act of humility," St. Francis 
de Sales avers, "is humility; to make acts of hu- 
mility on all occasions is the habit of humility; 
but to take pleasure in humiliation, and to be on 
the lookout for abjection in everything, is the 
spirit of humility!' 

To this point of perfection we are called ; nay, 
our holy Rule goes beyond this — it requires that 
our humility be profound, that is, deeply seated in 
the heart ; sincere, arising from the conviction we 
entertain of our utter worthlessness ; unaffected, 
without show of words, or dissimulation of manner. 

If we possess this spirit of humility, we shall 
be so grounded in a mean and low opinion of 
ourselves, that we shall regard each of our Sisters 
with great and sincere respect and treat them 
accordingly with the utmost deference. The juniors 
will respect the seniors, and all, with a spirit of 
emulation, will seek to excel one another in offices 
of humility and charity. 

As this chapter contains so sublime a degree 
of the virtue of humility, and as we are so strictly 



114 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

bound to aim at its acquisition, it imports us much 
to reflect on the necessity, advantages and means 
of attaining this most essential virtue. 

1st. It is requisite for salvation. We can do 
nothing thereto without it, since God resists the 
proud and gives His grace to the humble. We 
cannot pray without humility ; for St. Augustine 
says: "The prayer of the humble only is heard. yr 
And according to St. M. M. de Pazzi, " humility 
must precede prayer, for pride lies in wait even 
for good works." 

In the second place, humility is essential to 
attain sanctity and union with God, in keeping 
with our vocation, for humility is the mother of 
all virtues. 

St. Augustine being asked, which was the 
first, second, and third of virtues, answered 
"humility" and added, that if interrogated a hun- 
dred times, he would each time reply "humility." 

3d. It is necessary for those who instruct 
others ; thus, Jesus humbled and reproved His 
disciples, and then sent them to preach. St. Paul 
tells us : not to confide in talents, but to preach 
Jesus Christ. He calls human wisdom folly. 
" Out of the mouths of infants Thou hast per- 
fected praise. " 

The advantages of humility are primarily : It 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. I I 5 

supplies for every deficiency before God; if we 
have no other virtue, let us strive to possess 
humility, and this will suffice. It is the source 
and result of every virtue, the nurse of perfection, 
the guardian of the Vows, as well as of recollec- 
tion, peace and union. It renders us close imita- 
tors of Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin, who 
at the period of her unequaled exaltation, intoned 
the "Magnificat" so expressive of her deep sense 
of God's goodness, and her own lowliness; also, of 
the angels, who humbled themselves, when Lucifer 
fell through pride. Another precious privilege is, 
that it enables us to conquer all difficulties, 
interior and exterior ; for when we diffide in our- 
selves/to confide in God alone, He powerfully 
aids us. It renders prayer omnipotent: " the 
prayer of the humble pierces the clouds ;" more- 
over, it makes us always cheerful, satisfied, amiable, 
and obliging. It causes us to become dear to the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, honors His humiliations, 
atones for the many imperfections we hourly com- 
mit, and finally, is an abridgment of every virtue. 
The means of attaining humility, are : prayer, 
fervent and persevering ; meditation, on the exam- 
ple of Jesus Christ, especially on His Passion ; 
reflections on our sinfulness and depravity, our 
ingratitude and infidelity in the service of God. 



1 1 6 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

The degrees of humility are commonly reduced 
to three : To think little (or meanly) of ourselves, 
to desire others to think the same, to rejoice and 
be grateful for slights, contempt, reproofs, etc. 

We can practise a three-fold humility: First, 
towards God, by interiorly confessing Him to be 
above all adoration, praise, honor; accepting of 
desolation, temptation, etc., as coming from His 
Almighty and Fatherly hand ; by assuming on all 
occasions, but especially at prayer, a profoundly 
humble and respectful posture ; prostrating and 
performing penance in a deep-felt sense of abjec- 
tion. Secondly, towards our neighbor, by enter- 
taining interior sentiments of esteem and respect 
for all, in proportion to their rank or office, and 
evincing this in manner, conversation, and coun- 
tenance. Thirdly, towards ourselves, being impressed 
with the sense of our misery, ignorance, weakness, 
and nothingness ; thus, we will bear our faults and 
imperfections with meekness, as the best possible 
humiliation. We can practise humility exteriorly, 
by silence, especially, if we have something to 
say, which might show wit or knowledge ; then, 
by a low tone of voice, a tranquil manner and 
action, but, in all this, without the faintest affecta- 
tion. Again, by not speaking of ourselves, or 
seeking praise, even indirectly, by desiring to be 



RE V. MOTHER Me A ULEY. 1 1 7 

known to everyone, especially to our Superiors, as 
we really are ; bearing reproofs sweetly, and pro- 
ceeding to chapter with the true spirit, namely, 
with ardor and a holy desire to atone for our 
faults. Thus, we would be filled with sorrow for 
our negligences and ingratitude, and have a deter- 
mined will to correct those defects which we 
consider to be the most serious. Oh ! with what 
alacrity we would accuse ourselves if we well 
meditated and understood the depth of humilia- 
tion, contempt, and opprobrium which our Lord 
and Master endured at the time of His Sacred 
Passion. We would then exclaim in the secret 
depths of our hearts : 

Christ suffered for love of me; let me suffer 
for Him ! Christ bore His Cross ; let me assist 
Him to bear it ! Christ was dishonored ; I will not 
be honored ! He died for me ; let my life be a 
continual death to self, for His sweet love! Let 
me live, now, — no, not I, but let Christ live in me ! 

The humbled, agonizing, abandoned Christ — 
this is my Christ; Him, I will have and seek; out- 
side of Him, nothing. Let Him dispose of me as 
He pleases. 

Another practice is to accept humble offices 
in the sentiments we expressed on receiving the 
holy habit: "I have chosen to be an abject in the 



Il8 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

house of my God." We should never excuse 
ourselves, but rather loving to be accused and 
lightly esteemed, even unjustly ; rejoicing when 
neglected or forgotten, after the example of St. 
Alexis, ever ready to acknowlege our faults, with 
all humility, since this is the sovereign means of 
pleasing the Heart of Jesus. 

A wide difference exists between true and 
false humility. True humility walks in peace, is 
ever generous, rises after falls, has no dependence 
on self, is obedient, not only in words, but in 
thought, never reasoning on commands given, 
acknowledging God's graces in the soul, like St. 
Teresa. Whereas, false humility is easily disheart- 
ened, grows obstinate, slothful, and self-willed. 

St. Ignatius once said to St. M. M. de Pazzi, 
when speaking to her of this virtue : " Every act, 
which is opposed to humility, ought to be shunned 
in religion as dishonorable, as acts against fair 
fame are avoided in the world." And how much 
is taught us, in the sententious precept of Bl. J. 
Berchmans : " The desire I have for humiliations, 
is the real measure of my humility. To be hum- 
ble in my own eyes, is to be humble by halves ; 
but to wish to be humbled by others is true humil- 
ity. 

St. Jane F. de Chantal tells us that: "humility 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. II9 

is the key of the treasures of God. If the soul 
presents herself before Him without this key she 
will obtain none of the wealth of the eternal cof- 
fers, but will always be wretched and poor." Then 
St. Teresa asserts that : " a little attention to 
acquire humility, and one act of this virtue is 
worth more before God's infinite wisdom than all 
the learning of the world. And again, what a 
beautiful lesson do we not learn from Blessed Mar- 
garet Mary Alacoque, namely : " I will regard my- 
self as a beggar in the house of God, one who 
should be submissive to all, and to whom all is 
done and given through charity ; thus, I will always 
think I have too much." 

Furthermore, we know that God has called us 
to love Him, and love is not a something of ease 
and convenience. To love Christ, we must abhor 
ourselves; to confess Him, we must deny our- 
selves ; to be sweet and kind to Him, we must 
mortify ourselves. Such reflections as these will 
encourage and animate us with a noble humility, 
to acknowledge our weaknesses and failings, as 
also, in receiving sweetly the reproof and humil- 
iations that may be given to us; and here, we 
have the counsel of the great St. Francis de Sales, 
who tells us : " The highest degree of humility, 
is not only to acknowledge willingly our own 



120 



FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



abjection, but to love it, and take delight in it, 
and this, not from any meanness of soul, or cow- 
ardice of heart, but from a desire to exalt, as we 
should, the Divine Majesty, and to prefer others 
far beyond ourselves. " 

" In humiliations, reproofs and mortifications, 
the Religious, " says St. M. M. de Pazzi, " must be 
cheerful and calm, without excusing herself, even 
when innocent of the fault for which she is 
reproved, believing humility to be the path by 
which she is to reach heaven ; and that, by its 
exercise, she can, in some measure, make satisfac- 
tion for her sins." 





REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 121 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

FASTS AND ABSTINEN'CE. 

^y\ S Almighty God requires of us comparatively 
little in point of austerities, we should be 
most assiduous in practising interior mortification, 
and exterior too, as far as we are allowed. 

Mortification is really the love of Jesus, proved 
by suffering in imitation of the manner in which 
He manifested His love for us. 

The necessity is beyond doubt, for our Lord 
says : " If any one will come after Me, let him deny 
himself, take tip his cross and follow Me!' 

A certain amount of mortfication is necessary, 
in order to avoid sin and keep the command- 
ments. 

To be spiritual, corporal mortification is indis- 
pensable ; yet there is no question but that interior 
mortification is far more excellent. 

Under the head of interior mortification, comes 
first: the mortification of our own judgment. To 
practise this well, we must acquire the habit of 
giving it up, in doubtful and indifferent matters, 
and in things, about which we are certain, we 



122 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

must modestly assert our opinion, and then be 
silent. 

We must have no opinion contrary to that of 
our Superior, and above all, entertain no wish to 
be listened to — despising our own sentiments. 

Mortification of the will, holds the next place ; 
but when our will is conformed to the Divine 
Will, and endures humbly and sweetly the oppo- 
sition it meets, then there is little left to complete 
our sanctification. 

Custody of the sight, forms another class of 
mortification; but in this, singularity and affecta- 
tion should be guarded against. How many 
times may we deny our eyes the gratification of 
looking at something we are anxious to see, and 
turn our glance, spiritually to Jesus, in the Sacra- 
ment of Love ! 

There are many opportunities of denying the 
hearing, by not making useless inquiries, or listen- 
ing, when it is unnecessary to do so, and so on 
regarding the other senses. 

By refraining our senses from what delights 
them we repay our Lord, according to His own 
words to St. Gertrude, for the most bitter scourg- 
ing He endured in His Passion. We also experi- 
ence a holy joy which, without mortification, we 
would never feel, and we become courageous in 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 23 

supporting crosses and adversities. But it is in 
Heaven God delights in recompensing the truly 
mortified. There He generously rewards their holy 
custody of the eyes, by allowing them to gaze 
forever on the sunlight of His infinite beauty : to 
repay them for denying their taste, He gives them 
to drink of the torrents of His delights, and to 
eat at His own table : to requite their many deni- 
als of the sense of hearing, sweet music ever 
salutes their ears, and thus, of the other senses. 

The advantages of mortification are great : 

First. It renders us able to conquer our pas- 
sions ; and no temptation takes by surprise, the 
mortified soul, ever ready with that ascendency she 
has acquired over herself, to subdue the sugges- 
tions of the enemy, or the rebellions of her own 
vitiated nature. 

Next. It enables us to attain an eminent 
degree of the spirit of prayer. 

Finally. It leads to high sanctity, by drawing 
down God's special help in the acquisition of vir- 
tue, and by causing an absolute death to evil incli- 
nations, which the work of perfection requires. 

All the Saints, without exception, were mortified. 
They gloried in the Cross, as the most eminent 
rank of happiness and honor. They even sought 
sufferings as a means of testifying their love of 



124 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Jesus, knowing that these tribulations would pass 
away, to be succeeded by never-ending joys. 

Those who labor for the salvation of souls 
require a supreme degree of mortification in order 
to succeed in this work; and we must be ready 
to endure every suffering, even to shed our blood, 
like Jesus Christ. 

Unless our words proceed from hearts perfectly 
mortified, in vain do they urge sinners to repent. 
But, let us at the same time guard against an 
error into which it is possible to fall, namely : to 
believe that mortification, whether of the interior 
or exterior, consists in great and heroic acts. This 
would be a fearful illusion ; for if we have not 
courage to overcome ourselves in that which is 
easy, how shall we do it in what is more diffi- 
cult ? 

No one becomes perfect at once ; but, as from 
little faults we fall into great, so by the practice 
of the lesser virtues we ascend to the heroic. 

She, who neglects the practice of mortification 
and virtue, in minor points, can never make much 
progress in perfection. 

Another error is, to esteem exterior mortifica- 
tions lightly, as if they were not necessary, or, as 
if the interior supplied for them. It was not thus 
the Saints thought. " I chastise my body," says 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 125 

St. Paul, "and bring it into subjection, lest per- 
haps, when I have preached to others, I myself, 
shall become a castaway/' Elsewhere, the same 
Apostle says: "They that are Christ's have cru- 
cified their flesh." 

Those who have attained the height of sanctity 
were unanimous in fighting against the body; and 
we do not know of one Saint, who did not greatly 
value and love exterior mortifications, and practise 
them with all possible fervor. 

St. Philip Neri tells us: "The perfection of a 
Christian consists in mortifying himself for the 
love of Christ ; and where there is no spirit of 
mortification, there is no great sanctity." 

St. Alphonsus aptly says: "Exterior as well 
as interior mortifications are essential for perfec- 
tion ; but with this difference, that the former 
should be practised with discretion ; the latter, 
withotct discretion, and with fervor." The follow- 
ing is also quoted from the writings of St. M. M. 
de Pazzi : "We should lament and consider that 
day lost in which we have not in some way mor- 
tified ourselves for the love of God." While 
Thomas a Kempis says : " A change of manner 
and an entire mortification of the passions make 
a true Religious," 



126 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 



CHAPTER XIX. 

OF THE REFECTORY. 

r/JS the most material of our actions may be 
spiritualized by purifying our intention, we 
ought to be very careful to go to the refectory 
with the purest desire of pleasing God. The 
Apostle says : " Whether you eat or drink, or 
whatever else you do, do all for the glory of 
God." 

A Sister who goes to her meals in this spirit, 
performs a sublime act of adoration, and pro- 
foundly honors the Most Holy Trinity ; she lays 
up treasures of merit, and enriches the soul every 
time she takes a refection. Eecollection will be 
our great safeguard in the refectory. The spiritual 
reading prescribed is to aid us in this, and we 
should make use of it for this end. 

How beautiful are the models, which the lives 
of the Saints propose to us, on this subject! They 
prove to us of what value the most indifferent 
actions become in our Lord's sight, when the 
intention is pure. 

One night St. Gertrude was suffering from 
weakness. She took some grapes with the mental 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 27 

intention of refreshing our Lord in her own per- 
son ; and our Lord, on His part, received this as 
a royal gift, and then said to her: "In this I con- 
fess that you have recompensed Me for the bitter potion, 
which I y for your sake took upon the Cross; for y with 
how much greater purity of intention you recreate your 
body for My glory, with so much the more sweetness I 
acknowledge Myself recreated in your soul!' Speak- 
ing to this same Saint, another time, our Divine 
Lord said : " Whoever shall study to take all 
his recreation and use his comforts in eating, 
drinking, sleeping, etc., with the following inten- 
tion in his heart or on his lips — Lord, I take this 
food, or whatever it may be, in union with that 
love, wherewith Thou didst sanctify Thyself, when, 
in Thy most Sacred Humanity, Thou didst use 
the like comforts to the glory of Thy Father, and 
the salvation of the whole human race ; so that, 
in union with Thy Divine love, it may increase 
the consolation of those in heaven, on earth, and 
in purgatory. Each time he does so, he holds, 
as it were, a buckler before Me, against the many 
vexations with which worldly people persecute 
Me, and thus, I look upon him as My protector 
and defender!' 

We learn too that St. M. M. de Pazzi was so 
accustomed to be absorbed in thoughts of God's 



128 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Providence, as to perceive no taste in what she 
eat. 

To aid us in acquiring recollection in the refec- 
tory, we might frequently call to mind the mod- 
esty and temperance of the Holy Family in 
Nazareth. 

It is a practice of poverty to receive from the 
server, everything as an alms, or, as a present 
from our dear Lord. It is commendable to prac- 
tise little mortifications during our repasts, which 
can be done in various ways, without the least 
detriment to the health. A loving soul will 
always make some little offering to Jesus. Let 
us at least bear with any accidental denials of 
the taste, which may occur, and sometimes offer 
these mortifications to obtain the delivery of 
the souls in purgatory, from the vehement hun- 
ger and thirst they endure by their delay of 
enjoying the Beatific Vision. 

A spiritual Communion is another admirable 
and pious practice, which may be made use of 
with great profit ; so that, while the body is 
invigorated, the soul may be refreshed with this 
spiritual participation in the Blessed Sacrament. 

In the refectory custody of the eyes should 
be observed, as the contrary would not accord 
with the deportment of a Religious. 



RE V. MOTHER McA ULEY. 1 29 



CHAPTER XX. 

OF THE CARE OF THE SICK SISTERS AND SUFFRAGES 

FOR THE DEAD. 

~D Y this rule we see that at no time is our charity 
towards our Sisters to be more tender and 
manifest, than when they are, as it were, fastened 
to the Cross with Jesus, and need all the comfort 
and consolation which we can possibly offer them, 
to enable them to suffer with merit to their souls, 
and to give glory to God. When they are ill, it is 
our sweet duty to visit them frequently, as in 
keeping with our holy Rule, and also to practise 
charity. There are many little ways in which we 
can alleviate the sufferings of our dear Sisters, 
and which a tender, compassionate charity will 
suggest. Our holy Rule remarks that we should 
piously console our sick Sisters. To comply with 
this injunction, a few words suffice to show how 
much we consider they are honored in receiving a 
share of the Cross. This, and similar little remarks, 
should be made with great humility and simplicity 
— not as if we were speaking to the sick on the 
Visitation, for it is to be supposed that Religious 



130 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

know all that is necessary for sanctifying their 
sufferings, and rendering them pleasing to God. 

Our conversation should be rather cheerful with 
the sick, without, however, becoming tiresome. 

Our dear, deceased Sisters, have a special 
claim on our prayers. If we hope to be remem- 
bered in the prayers of others after our death, we 
ought now to extend our charity to those beloved 
spouses of Christ, who are, perhaps, suffering in 
purgatory, and awaiting our prayers to be released. 



TO BE SAID FOR A SISTER DANGEROUSLY ILL. 



My God ! look down with mercy and pity on 
our dear Sister afflicted with sickness. Give her 
perfect resignation to Thy divine will, and gra- 
ciously enable her to suffer, without complaining, 
whatever Thou art pleased to appoint. 

Compassionate Lord Jesus, support and com- 
fort her. 

Blessed Mother of God, and all ye happy 
Saints, intercede for her, that she may pass through 
this time of trial, so as to purify her from the 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 



131 



smallest stain, that at the hour of her departure 
from this miserable world she may enter on the 
joys of a happy eternity. Amen. 

N. B.— -The above prayer, also the following chapter on 
44 The Religious Life," have been copied from " A Little Book 
of Practical Sayings, Advices, and Prayers of our Revered 
Foundress," and published in 1878, by the Community of Bag- 
got Street Convent, Dublin, the first House of the Order of 
Mercy. 



Imprimatur : 



^ PAULUS CARD. CULLEN, 

Archbishop of Dublin, 




1 3 2 FAMILIAR INSTR UCTIONS OF 



q the |{eligious Wife, 



The study of a Religious should be the life 
and maxims of Jesus Christ. This Divine model 
should be, in her regard, like a book continually- 
open before her, from which she is to learn what 
she is to think, say, and do; in what manner, at 
what time ; and this maxim should be engraven on 
her mind, that, although she possessed a knowledge 
of all the sciences which have ever been known 
to man, and was distinguished for sense, prudence, 
and elegance, so as to gain the admiration of 
everyone, yet, if she had not studied Jesus Christ, 
and formed her mind on His example, she is as 
nothing in His eyes, and wants all, in wanting the 
science of the Saints. 

In order to study Jesus Christ, you must ren- 
der yourself familiar with his meekness, patience, 
forbearance, charity in word and work, contempt 
of all earthly distinction, sincerity, obedience, love 
of prayer, humility, conformity. 

Take each virtue separately, meditate on His 
manner of practising it, and pray that His spirit 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 33 

may be infused into your heart to soften and pre- 
pare it to receive His divine impression as a seal 
thereon. 

That you may profit by meditating on Jesus 
Christ, you must guard your mind from all unprof- 
itable thoughts, and reduce to practise, one virtue 
after the manner of Jesus Christ, and then another, 
but not till you are well practised in one. Sup- 
pose silence : I could speak much to the purpose 
on this matter. I will not say a word. Christ, 
my beloved Spouse, when He could have attracted 
the whole world, was silent. And so, from virtue 
to virtue, until you go through all the science of 
salvation. 

We find those who can enumerate very partic- 
ularly all that Jesus Christ said and did; but 
what does he care for that? He said and did so, 
not that we should recount it in words, but show 
Him in our lives, in our daily practice. Thus only 
can we realize what He designed in our regard, 
and without which we cannot be truly united to 
Him. 

A Religious should consider herself as " a 
stranger and pilgrim on earth," having her con- 
versation in heaven. This is the happiness of 
religious life, everyday preparing to enter our own 
country, and when we retire to rest, wishing for 



134 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

that happy hour. Each day is a step we make 
towards eternity ; and we shall continue thus to 
step from day to day, until we take the last step, 
which will bring us into the presence of God. 

We may perceive from all our instructions that 
a strong and lively faith is the solid foundation 
of all virtue. We must often beg of God to grant 
us this virtue, and to preserve us from the dread- 
ful inconsistency of contradicting our faith and 
our religious profession, by our actions. 

Let us also, attend carefully to holy inspira- 
tions, saying fervently that petition : " From the 
neglect of Thy holy inspirations, Jesus deliver me." 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 35 



axirqs and |foiirjsek 



Gratitude and humility for being permitted to 
assist Jesus Christ in His suffering members are 
the principal sentiments which success ought to 
awaken in our hearts. 



* 
* * 



I judge that no one is fit to be in the Convent 
who has not the honor of the Order at heart. In 
any case the perfection and reputation of our 
Order ought to be dearer to us than its extension. 






Let us be ever greatly affrighted at the cunning 
thief, "vain-glory" 



* 
* 



How happy shall I be if God sends me, before I 
die, some certain resources for our numerous poor. 






No one is needed — we can all be done without. 
Let us never think any one individual necessary 
for carrying on the works of God. 



I36 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Worldly persons can never arrange the affairs of 
Religious. 

* * 

You have given all to God without any reserve : 
then nothing can happen to you which He does not 
appoint ; you should desire nothing but the accom- 
plishment of His Will. Everything, however trivial, 
comes from that adorable Source. 

* 

* * 

The Order is God's work — not mine. It will 
do just as well without me. 

* 

O blessed and happy life (of a Sister of Mercy),, 
which makes death so sweet! 

* 

It is better to relieve a Jiundred impostors — 
if there be any such — than to suffer one really 
distressed person to be sent away empty. 

The reward always comes after a well received 
cross. Without the cross the real crown cannot 
come. 

* * 

Some great things which God designs to accom- 
plish, would be too much joy without a dash of 
bitterness in the cup. 



RE V. MOTHER McA ULEF. 1 3 7 

Bless and love the Fatherly hand which has 
wounded you ! He will soon come, both hands 
filled with favors and blessings. 

* 

* * 

In heaven alone should the " Sisters of Mercy " 

look for rest. 

* * 

Mercy receives the ungrateful again and again, 
and is never weary in pardoning them. 

Time is the purchase money of Eternity. 

* 

* * 

Be ever polite and gracious, but come to the 
point as soon as possible, and beware of wasting 
a moment of time. 

* * 

We should cultivate most assiduously the sweet 
virtue of Confidence in God, for with it we shall 
effect much good amongst " Christ's little ones. ,r 

* 

Perfection consists in a prompt and determined 
will to do at once and cheerfully whatever we 
know to be the will of God. 

* 

* * 

Confidence in God causes us to hope for every- 
thing from His paternal goodness. 



138 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

There are things the poor prize more highly 
than gold, tho' they cost the donor nothing; 
among these are the kind word, the gentle, com- 
passionate look, and the patient hearing of their 

sorrows. 

* * 

Let us obey like Jesus, and command like 
Mary. 

Obedience is the shortest road to perfection. 
The motive of our obedience we should ever bear 
in mind : it is no other than the love of God. 

To neglect devotion to Mary is to wound Jesus, 
because she is His mother. 

* 

The words of a Religious should be full of 
wisdom, sweetness, and forbearance. 

By our vocation to this Order we are bound 
to labor for souls. 

* * 

The desire of frequent Communion should 
lead us to an imitation of the Life of Jesus, as 
the desire of imitating Him, should inspire us 
with a longing after Holy Communion. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEV. 1 39 

We should bear our faults and imperfections 
with humility, as the best possible humiliation. 

Generally speaking, the ardor of our zeal 
depends on the depth of our gratitude. 

* 

* * 

Draw souls to God, by your words, by your 
•example, by the works of your Institute. 

* 

* * 

To love Christ, we must abhor ourselves ; to 
confess Him, we must deny ourselves ; to be sweet 
and kind to Him, we must mortify ourselves. 

* 

* * 

She who neglects the practice of mortification 
and virtue in little things, can never make much 
progress in perfection. 

* * 

One might suppose the daily and uninterrupted 
repetition of the same duties would prove tiresome : 
it is not so, the Religious life affords more lively, 
solid and lasting happiness, than all the variety 
the world could give. 

* * 

While we place all our confidence in God, 
we must always act as if all depended on our 
own exertions. 



140 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

I sincerely trust good Father L. will not fur- 
nish the Convent in a worldly style. 

Religious should never for a moment forget 
their vocation. 

Be ever ready to give to others, the sympathy 
you do not seek for self. 

* 

* * 

My pleasure must ever consist in endeavoring 

to please all. 

* 

* * 

It is for God we serve the poor, and not for 
thanks. 

* * 

Let us labor incessantly for the objects of 
the Institute. 

Be faithful, and draw down on yourselves the 
blessings of heaven, by observing all the regula- 
tions, and by a cautious, salutary fear of every 
departure from Rule and discipline. God wall 
then make your house His own, and love to 
dwell among you. 

* * 

This is our life, joys and sorrows mingled, one 
succeeding the other. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 141 

Be ever ready to praise, to encourage, to stim- 
ulate, but slow to censure, and still more slow to 

condemn. 

* 

* * 

Prove your gratitude by going hand-in-hand 
with your Divine Redeemer ; nothing to interest 
you but what relates to His glory. 

* * 

Some of the "bitter-sweets" incident to our 
state, and most of all requiring counsel and sup- 
port, are those difficulties to which we are exposed, 
such as incurring the displeasure of spiritual per- 
sons, without design, experiencing marks of disap- 
probation, and not know why. 

* 

* * 

It will render us very fervent in saying the 
Office, to remember, that, for every word, every 
"Gloria Patri" we repeat in reciting it, an eternal 
weight of glory will be the recompense. 

* * 

We should delight to be unknown, that we 
may the more resemble our Blessed Saviour, who 
was constantly laboring and doing a great deal 
for the glory of His Father, and for our salvation, 
without bringing Himself into notice, or being dis- 
tinguished. 



142 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Receive, with all your heart, the cross which 
God sends, in any shape or form He pleases, so 
as to make it valuable to you. 

* * 

* 

Charity should be our animating principle in 
undertaking the duty of instructing children or 
adults, since God's image is impressed on their 
souls, which are washed in the Precious Blood of 

Christ. 

* * 

Mortification is requisite for holy modesty, and 
involves a spirit of sacrifice, which is faithful in 
the most trivial things. 

No soul is safe but the one who reposes in 
God. 

Let us love and esteem our holy Rule, which 
is the declaration of God's will in our regard. 

Religious simplicity shuns all affectation in 
words and manner. 

Nothing troubles the truly obedient soul, for 
she simply seeks and follows the ever blessed will 
of God. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEF. 143 

To the obedient, victory is given. But God's 
holy will be done in all things ! May He never 
leave the choice to us. We cannot be unhappy 
while we love and serve Him faithfully. 

* 

All Religious are bound to tend constantly to 
the perfection of their vocation. She only is a 
true Religious who faithfully keeps her Rule in 
peace and love 

Let us often fly to the foot of the Cross and 
repose in the wounds of Jesus. He has written 
us in His hands — shall we not write His wounds 
in our minds and hearts ? 

* 

Joy is the special fruit of mortification ; it is 
the reward our Lord grants, even in this life, to 
those who renounce their own will and pleasure, 
to follow His. 

Mercy blesses him that gives, and him that 
takes. 

Let us generously take up the Cross, and we 
will find by experience that it is light and sweet, 
and full of the unction of heavenly grace. 



144 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Prayer inspires the soul with holy thoughts, 
pious desires and good resolutions. It is the 
spring of all virtues. 

* # 

The more perfect our poverty is, the more 
abundantly will God fill our souls with heavenly 
treasures, with which to purchase eternal happiness. 

* * 

We have given our will to God, hence, we 
cannot resume it without committing a rapine 
in the holocaust. Ah! let us not be so ungrate- 
ful, but let us rather kiss the sweet chains, 
which, like those of the Apostle, " make us in 

bonds for Christ." 

* * 

Let us courageously endure aridity, which is 
prefigured by the gloom that overspread Calvary; 
and the want of all comfort, such as our Blessed 

Mother underwent. 

* * 

Charity not only requires that we instruct, but 
also that we should pity, encourage, and even 
reprove those under our care, as they may require. 

* 

Meditation on the Passion teaches all virtues, 
by the example, more than by the words, of our 
Divine Lord. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 145 

The very institution of the Blessed Eucharist, 
and the sufferings which Jesus endured in His 
dolorous Passion and death, owed their origin to 
the burning love of His Sacred Heart. 

* 

Why should we expect consolation ? Jesus was 
sacrificed but once on Calvary, but He is daily 
immolated on our Altars. 

# 

« * 

When we think of the majesty of Jesus, and 
our own misery and vileness, we must see, by the 
light of grace, how unworthy our souls are to 
become His temples, and must own that " He that 
is mighty hath done great things for us," in 
choosing us as guests to His Heavenly table. 

* * 
Nothing conduces more to sanctity than fre- 
quent considerations on the sufferings of Jesus. 

Experience daily proves that the simplest 
instructions are the best and the most impressive. 

* 

There is no room for vain-glory in "little 
things" hence there is a great deal for the glory 
of God. 



146 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

Surrounded, as we are, with danger and tempta- 
tions, full of imperfections and misery, where will 
we seek refuge, if not in the Heart of our loving 
Lord? 

* * 

We need not fear for our predestination to 
glory, if we perform the actions of each day with 
all possible care. 

* * 

A Religious should endeavor always to have a 
cheerful countenance, and a manner equally free 
from restraint and levity. 

* 

We belong to God; all in us is His. How 
sweet to the fervent Religious is this thought I 

* 

* * 

We must no longer resist grace by favoring 
our imperfect inclinations, but labor to become 
true ^followers of Jesus, in poverty, chastity, obe- 
dience, and the service of the poor, sick, and 
ignorant. 

* * 

All our actions should be performed with so 
great purity of intentipn, as to serve to fit us, in 
some degree, for the coming of our Divine Guest 
(in Holy Communion). 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 47 

Humility does not consist in words, but in acts; 
to be real, it must be practical. 

* 

* * 

In all our difficulties and temptations, let us 
go to our Lord. He condescends to invite us — 
will he repel us when we approach ? 

* * 

" What is this world but a school, in which 
souls are trained and prepared for the other?" 

* 

* * 

When neglected, and perhaps forgotten, let us 
think of the Sacred Heart in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, and love to be like It. In grief, let us 
unite ourselves with that Heart " which was sor- 
rowful even unto death. " When alone, let us 
associate our solitude with that of the Sacred 
Heart in its exile of love, the Blessed Sacrament. 

* 

* * 

We should labor continually to subject nature 
to grace, by a general watchfulness over our 
exterior, as well as interior. 

When or how are we expected to take up our 
cross and follow Christ, if we are not to meet 
with it in those with whom we are associated ? 



148 FAMILIAR INSTRUCTIONS OF 

God has never bestowed all His blessings on 
one person. He did not give to St. Peter what 
He gave to St. Paul, nor to either, what He gave 

to St. John. 

* 

* * 

If we are humble and sincere, God will finish 
in us the work He has begun. He never refuses 
His grace to those who ask it. 

* 

One word of instruction from the Sister, who con- 
ducts herself in the gentle spirit of her Redeemer 
will have far more effect than all that could be 
said by another, who departs from it. 

* 

* * 

Nothing can be more disgraceful than to hear 
a Religious say anything sharp ; it at once ren- 
ders her habit unbecoming to her. 

* 

In the use of temporal things, a Religious 
should always remember that she has not come 
to a house of plenty, but to a state of strict 
poverty. 

A Religious character is that in which every- 
thing is tranquil and subdued, and from which 
all that is trifling and childish is banished. 



REV. MOTHER McAULEY. 1 49 

We seem to forget that God calls upon us to 
take up our cross, and that this cross must be 
composed of something; that He requires of us 
constant watchfulness over thoughts and words. 

* * 

Speak of God, for God, and with God. 

* 

* * 

Religion refines and elevates the character. 
A perfect Religious is a perfect lady. 

* 

As the most acceptable return a benefactor 
can receive from those on whom he bestows favors, 
is a countenance testifying the gratitude of the 
heart. How acceptable must it be to God when 
we make Him this return, showing to all, by a 
cheerful, happy countenance, the gratitude with 
which our hearts overflow towards Him for His 
many favors in this life, and His great promises 
for the life to come. . 

We need only to consider how dear our own 
will has been to us from our earliest years, to 
know how acceptable a sacrifice it is to God. 



^DDENDUM 



ADDENDUM. 1 5 J. 



AN EXHORTATION 



ON THE 



RENEWAL OE VOWS. 



Father Bourdaloue, in accordance with the customs 
of the Community he addresseH \ pronounced this exhor- 
tation, with the Blessed Sacrament in his hand : 

"be renewed in the spirit of your mind." 

£1T is not I, my dear Sisters, who thus address 
you : It is Jesus Christ Himself; it is your God, 
whom I present to you, and who presents Him- 
self, to honor in person the holy and edifying cer- 
emony of the Renewal of your Vows. It is He r 
who, as the witness, no less than the Judge and 
faithful rewarder of the actions you are going to- 
perform, says to all of you in general, and to 
each in particular, " Be renewed in spirit and heart." 
Be not content to perform externally what your 



US 4 ADDENDUM. 

Rule ordains, and what custom has prescribed at 
this holy time ; perform it sincerely, and by the 
lasting effects which the fervor of this renewal 
shall produce in you, render it as solid and as 
perfect as it ought to be. " Be ye renewed in 
the spirit of your mind." It is Jesus Christ Him- 
self who speaks to you ; it is the Lord whom you 
adore; it is that one Spouse to whom you are 
devoted. Hear His voice, not only with respect 
and as humble handmaids ready to yield Him 
obedience, but with the affectionate zeal of loving 
spouses, actuated by a desire to please Him : He 
consults His own glory, as well as your most 
important interest. 

Consider, with the utmost attention the four 
reflections to which I shall reduce the matter of 
this short exhortation. I will offer to your con- 
sideration, how, and how greatly, the renewal of 
your Vows glorifies God, sanctifies yourselves, and 
to what exalted perfection it elevates you. How 
Jesus Christ, here present, has a peculiar right to 
demand it of you ; and finally, how you could 
ciever have been more perfectly disposed to exe- 
cute it, in a manner suitable to His greatness: 
reflections well calculated to inspire you with a 
fervent and permanent devotion. Weigh them 
well ; they would almost be sufficient preparation 



ADDENDUM. 1 55 

ifor the important duty you are now to perform. 
Do not question it, my dear Sisters ; the renewal 
of your Vows honors God, but how? In renewing 
them, you ratify the sacrifice by which you have 
devoted your persons, when you entered the Relig- 
ious state; you testify that you do not repent 
being consecrated to His service, that in it you 
discover nothing severe or oppressive ; it will serve 
to confer more sweetness on the remainder of 
your existence and make you endure it more joy- 
fully; that, far from desiring to relinquish it, you 
would be disposed to embrace it anew ; that instead 
of repining at it, you regard it as your greatest 
happiness in life; that all your glory in the holy 
state you have chosen, consists in being able to 
say, with the great Apostle : " I, therefore, a pris- 
oner in the Lord." I am in fetters, it is true, but 
I wear them in Jesus Christ, for His sake and 
with Him ; for all this is implied in the solemn 
and public protestation you are going to renew 
in His presence. 

From all this, it is easy to conclude how con- 
ducive such an act must be to His glory. For 
by it, you justify that sentence of the Gospel, 
" His yoke is sweet, and His burthen light." 

By it you proclaim to the world, that He is a 
God, wise and infallible in all His words, since, 



156 ADDENDUM. 

what the Gospel has declared, though sovereingly 
incredible, is verified in you. Every other subjec- 
tion becomes burdensome in time; that only of 
Jesus Christ, is ever equally pleasing, one in which 
we always discover the same allurements, always 
experience the same sweetness, and this you prove 
by engaging yourself more strictly than ever ; and 
if I be permitted the expression, riveting yet more 
firmly the chains which bind you. By it you pro- 
claim how good a Master God is, even the best, 
the most worthy to be served. Can anything be 
more glorious to Him than this acknowledgment ?• 
Can anything tend more to His honor, than to 
behold His friends practising continual self-renun- 
ciation, and without any reserve, consecrating: 
themselves to His service ? esteeming it their sov- 
ereign felicity to be His, and only His, to live for 
Him alone, to depend solely on Him ? 

We are perfectly aware how painful to nature 
subjection is, how anxiously it is avoided, how 
many and ingenious are her contrivances, nay,, 
with what violence she casts it off. But this very 
subjection, so detested, so insufferable to human 
nature, is to you, in reference to the Deity, far 
dearer than the liberty to which you were born y 
and which, in the world, you had enjoyed : you* 
never believed yourselves in possession of more 



ADDENDUM. 157 

perfect freedom than when bound by His man- 
dates, devoted without intermission to His supreme 
commands. 

By this we acknowledge how faithful are His 
promises, how r magnificent His rewards, that the 
"hundredfold" He has pledged to bestow on 
those who follow Him, is not an imaginary bene- 
fit, since even now, what you possess is not a 
trifling good, incapable of satisfying you, since 
you already find in it your felicity, since expect- 
ing the immortal blessings to which you aspire, 
and for which He has predestinated you, you 
esteem yourselves amply repaid for all you have 
abandoned, and conceive nothing to which you 
would not prefer the sacred engagements you have 
contracted ; an engagement which to you sup- 
plies every desire, and raises you, even in this 
world, above all it contains ; an engagement which 
draws a line of separation between you and the 
splendors, the honors and riches of the world ; 
an engagement, the price of which, you, with the 
Apostle of the Gentiles, consider unworthy of 
remembrance, and in comparison with which, to 
use his words, " the treasures of the universe are 
as clay/' and for the sake of which, you envy 
not the worldling her prosperity or her pleasures ; 
and to comprise all in one word, an engagement, 



158 ADDENDUM. 

the true " hundredfold " here below; one to* 
which you limit all your pretensions. 

What honor then, does not God receive from 
the preference you give Him, and from the time 
in which you render it. Mark me well, my dear 
Sisters, when for the first time you poured forth 
your Vows, you were not yet capable of render- 
ing to God such glowing attestations, for as yet, 
you had not tasted the charms of Religious life ;. 
you followed the invitation of God, who called 
you; you abandoned yourselves to Him, with a 
meritorious faith, with a generous confidence, with 
an ardent affection, but after all, you could not 
then answer to your own hearts ; you could not 
testify to others, the incalculable advantages of a 
Religious life, nor the infinite mercies of the Lord, 
at whose call you embraced it. You beheld repre- 
sentations which moved you, heard what edified 
you, you were delighted, thought nothing was 
exaggerated, and you were convinced. 

" Glorious things are said of Thee, O city of 
God." But on the day you renew the ceremony 
of your first consecration, you are no longer 
influenced by what you are told, but what you 
have known and experienced, and in which you 
cannot be deceived. " Now I have known." Ah, 
Lord, those who addressed us in. your name have 



ADDENDUM. I59> 

not led us into error, nor have You, Yourself 
deceived us ; they have not bid us hope what we 
have not attained; the effects precisely accord 
with our expectations ; yes, my God, the sweetest 
repose is in Thee, the truest happiness is attach- 
ment to Thee. Therefore, for Thy greater glory, 
we proclaim it before the world which sees us> 
here, and which should not hesitate to believe,, 
since our knowledge of what we declare is most 
perfect, and our testimony will be more efficacious, 
because founded on personal experience. Oh,, 
that we could engage the world to join us in bless- 
ing Thee ! oh, that it would learn of us to know 
and glorify Thee. This, my dear Sisters, is not 
all the profit to be derived from the renewal of 
of your Vows : and if by it, you honor God, your 
own advantage is not excluded, nor does it the 
less contribute to your sanctification. 

It is by this renovation and the manner of its- 
performance, that you renew in your own hearts 
the remembrance of your obligations. While the 
Christians of the age, abandoned to dissipation,, 
and hurried away by the torrents of the world, 
live in deep forgetfulness of what they owe to 
God, as followers of Christ; while they reflect 
but rarely and superficially, your unceasing occu- 
pations, but particularly, at the approach of this- 



l6o ADDENDUM. 

lioly day, is to call to mind what, as Religious, 
you owe to God, to meditate on it, to study it, 
to imprint it on your memory, and render it the 
source of exquisite delight. 

Thus, in the renewal of your Vows, you 
observe to the letter, what God in the old law, 
prescribed to the Israelites, when, having con- 
ducted them to the promised land, He spoke to 
them by the mouth of Moses : " Remember, Israel, 
and forget not that I have chosen you because I 
desire to be your God, and that you should be 
my chosen people." Thus it is, my dear Sisters, 
you this day accomplish that figure, and say to 
God at this moment : " Yes, Lord, I remember it, 
and never shall I forget it, for I have yet more 
cause than David to cry out, 'If I shall ever for- 
get Thee, my God, let my right hand forget its 
functions, let my tongue cleave to the palate, if I 
be not always mindful of the choice you have 
made of me, and of the choice I have made of 
Thee/ " 

This remembrance, my dear Sisters, preserved 
and renewed, is the most excellent and secure 
means of avoiding relapses and relaxations. " Be 
mindful of your last hour," says the wise man, " and 
you shall never sin ; " but let us be mindful of 
the promises we have made to God, and we shall 



ADDENDUM. l6l 

be faithful forever. Let us remember them in all 
our actions, and we will be perfect — let us remember 
them at those important periods when we are called 
upon to comply with the most painful duties of 
our state, and our compliance will then be easy; 
let us remember the trials to which God not unfre- 
quently exposes us, and these very trials will serve 
but to increase our fervor ; for, with such a remem- 
brance, how is it possible we can be even once 
remiss in the observance of our Rule, in the love 
of poverty, in detachment from self, in the spirit 
of mortification, in the practise of prompt and 
blind obedience. I appeal to yourselves, my dear 
Sisters, and to your experience, how frequently 
has this remembrance impressed on your souls, 
by the renewal of your Vows, saved you from 
apparently certain, nay, almost inevitable falls, and, 
if I may use the expression, caused you to redouble 
your speed in the path of piety. 

These two words — "I have chosen the Lord 
and He has chosen me," will support and fortify 
you; they will enable you to surmount every diffi- 
culty, to resist every temptation, to rise above 
every disappointment and disgust. 

" I have chosen the Lord," and the Lord, in 
accepting my Vows, ha»s sealed the choice He has 
made. 



l62 ADDENDUM. 

This will give you a taste for the happiness of 
your state, and cause you to labor with unwearied 
constancy in acquiring every perfection. Yes, my 
dear Sisters, by the renewal of your Vows, you 
confirm yourselves more and more in the desire of 
satisfying every obligation they impose, and which 
you yourselves have imposed— that is to say, the 
desire and inviolable resolution of divesting your- 
selves of all selfishness, of crucifying your flesh, 
which otherwise cannot be the living victims of 
the Lord, who was, without exception or reserve, 
"obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross."" 

By this renewal of your Vows you form a 
fortunate habit of perseverance in Religion; you, 
every day, give to these very Vows an additional 
stability. You bind yourselves more closely to 
God, by the triple tie of which He has said: "It 
is hard to break the triple cord. ,, By the renova- 
tion of your Vows you acquire strength to support 
you in the paths through which you advance by 
it; you repair with profit, the least break the enemy 
has effected in your souls, so that you will depart 
from this holy place as creatures entirely renewed 
in Jesus Christ : in a word, by the renewal of your 
Vows, you imitate the Church, in the practice 
she each year observes, of celebrating the dedica- 
tion of the Temples consecrated to God; for you, 



ADDENDUM. 1 63 

my dear Sisters, are the true temples of the Holy 
Ghost, and this day's solemnity is the special 
Feast of the dedication and consecration of your 
persons. 

This renewal will cost you something ; but has 
not God, as I here present Him to you, a right 
to demand and expect everything from you? 
Behold Him, sacrificed for you ; behold Him — not 
figuratively under these adorable species — Him, 
who now renews all He suffered for you on the 
Cross. 

What does He require? Sacrifice for sacrifice, 
renovation for renovation ; that is, He invites you 
to renew for Him, the sacrifice of your Vows, as 
He renews for you, the sacrifice of His sacred 
Humanity. Never could He have demanded any- 
thing more justly due. And if to make it in 
Spirit and in truth, you require to be animated 
by an illustrious example, behold it here. Jesus 
Christ, the Spouse of your Soul, and your Saviour; 
He, the witness of the most sweet sentiments of 
your heart, presents Himself to your eyes, and 
desires that you view Him in the lowly condition 
of a victim, to which he has reduced Himself on 
this Altar, in that state in which He offered Him- 
self, and is daily offered in your name. 

What does He say to you? What do you say 



164 ADDENDUM. 

to Him? He speaks to you, my dear Sisters, and 
without the aid of words; by His mere presence 
He makes Himself heard ; He testifies in the secret 
of your hearts how agreeable your sacrifice is to 
Him, while, at the same time, He enables you to 
discover how greatly He deserves it. You devote 
yourselves to Him, but what He receives already 
belongs to Him by right, and what you receive 
from Him, His Body, His Blood, His Soul, His 
Divinity, contained beneath those veils, are the 
gratuitous gifts of His love. You consent and 
engage for His sake to remain till death, secluded, 
and He, for your sake, promises to remain until 
the consummation of ages shut up within this 
Tabernacle and buried in the deepest obscurity. 

You have made yourselves poor and obedient, 
and He for you has, in one sense, divested Him- 
self of all the splendor of His Majesty. He assumes 
this utter lowliness and becomes obedient to His 
Ministers, to men whom His own hand hath formed. 
In relinquishing the world for Him, you desired 
to live with Him in His holy house and near to 
Himself; you desired yet more — Himself — and He, 
that moment, leaving His Sanctuary, comes to you, 
not only to live with you, but in you. What are 
your thoughts ? How would you give expression 
to them? Can you consider what you present as 



ADDENDUM. 1 65 

valuable, what you behold, what you have so fre- 
quently received, and what you are now to receive ? 
Each of you will say : " I have sacrificed for you, 
Lord, nothing but the world, but why have I not 
all its treasures and splendors ; why have I not 
a thousand worlds in my power, not to devote 
myself to them, but to renounce them, and by 
that renunciation to present a sacrifice worthy of 
your reception? " 

" What do I say, O, Lord ! Whatever I might 
do I could not make you a sacrifice, such as you 
deserve ; but it would be the greatest I would be 
capable of, and one I would most ardently desire 
to bestow 7 ; for, my God, I desire only Thee. I 
aspire but to Thee, and if I desire aught beside 
Thee, it is only to have in the renewal of my 
Vows, a new offering to present to Thee, and give 
a more convincing proof that I desire nothing 
beside Thee." It is not necessary, my dear Sis- 
ters, that you present to God a new offering ; it suf- 
fices that you renew what you have already made, 
nor could you be better disposed for this renewal 
than at present. With this last reflection I shall 
conclude, and it should be to you a source of 
great consolation ; for, if you come here to renew 
your first consecration to God, it is after being 
prepared by retreat, where you have examined 



1 66 ADDENDUM. 

yourselves, where God has spoken to your hearts, 
where He has communicated His will to you, 
where, in conjunction with Him, you have concerted 
measures for commencing a career still more holy 
and exemplary than the past. 

I shall not address you in the words of Samuel 
to the Israelites, when he exhorted them to pre- 
pare to obey the Lord, and serve only Him. " Pre- 
pare your hearts for the Lord and serve Him 
alone," for there is not one of you who is not 
even now prepared to do so, and who cannot 
exclaim with David, " My heart is ready, O, Lord ! 
my heart is ready/' It was the occupation of 
your solitude; hence, I go still further — if you have 
come here to renew your first consecration, it is 
after you have been purified by a complete review 
of all your actions, of your entire conduct, by an 
exact confession, by a sincere, and sorrowful declar- 
ation of slight transgressions — the offsprings of 
your frailty — and all this, through a desire of 
offering to Jesus Christ, a pure and spotless victim 
only. 

To you I shall not say what God did to His 
people in Leviticus, " Be sanctified and suffer noth- 
ing in your souls which can tarnish purity," for, 
I find you already sanctified with a holiness, the 
fruit of bitter sorrow and austere repentance. 



ADDENDUM. 1 67 

Besides, my dear Sisters, if you renew in this 
holy place your first offering, it is not in secrecy, 
but in the solemnity of a public ceremony and 
before, the Altar of the living God, in the celebra- 
tion of the most tremendous mystery of our relig- 
ion, and every circumstance has in it something 
august and venerable, which should yet more ani- 
mate your faith, invigorate your zeal, affect your 
hearts. 

On all the other days of the year you can 
holily and usefully renew your Vows to God, and 
thus renovate yourselves; for the maxim of the great 
Apostle admits of no exception, is confined to no 
period of time : " Be renewed in the Spirit of 
your mind." But this day is the favored, the priv- 
ileged time. This is the season specially destined 
to be employed in seeking the Lord, and in finding 
Him. "Behold now the acceptable time — behold, 
now is the day of salvation." 

Behold, your entire Community assembled 
together and joined in the bonds of unity; the ex- 
ample of one sustains another, the zeal of one commu- 
nicates itself to another — the prayer of one seconds 
the supplications of another, all form a single 
heart. What cannot the assembly of so numerous 
and so pious a Community obtain from God ! Ap- 
proach, then, my dear Sisters, approach with 



1 68 ADDENDUM. 

confidence to the throne of grace. Behold, He is here 
present. Behold the adorable Eucharist, where the 
Author of grace, substantial and incarnate, dwells 
in person ; approach with unbounded confidence 
and all affection, suitable to chaste spouses, since 
He is here present only to give Himself to you, 
when you shall have renewed the sacrifice and 
homage He comes to receive. 

Approach, and you will be enlightened, and 
you will be more and more sanctified. 

This God of Glory will fill you with his lights ; 
this Holy of Holies will grant you a participation of 
His sanctity. Approach, but come not with empty 
hands. " Make Vows, all you who are about His 
throne, and you who surround His sanctuary, pre- 
sent there your offerings." You are the only gift 
He desires. Present yourselves to Him with the 
same spirit as Mary, the Queen of Virgins, when 
she gave to God the first oblation of her person. 
She is your Mother : address yourselves to her, and 
ask her to present you as her children and the 
dearest portion of her flock. Will she refuse to 
advocate your cause ? By how many titles is she 
pledged to plead in your behalf? Her name that 
you bear, the foundation of your honor, the object 
of your respect, the greatness of the cause for 
which you invoke her aid, will make her assist you. 



ADDENDUM. 1 69. 

She will ask, she will plead for you : and, to use 
the expression of the Apostle, "She will confess 
you boldly before her Son," the treasures of Heaven- 
will be unlocked to you, and all this dwelling will 
be filled with abundant benediction. Amen. 



^^ 



HOW TO PRACTISE 

THE 

"third ftegnee of j[)umilittj. 
+ 

1. Avoid disputes and any vain success they 
bring. 

2. Too quick and ready words oft leave behind 
a sting. 

3. ■ Do not excuse yourself, even when not to* 
blame. 

4. Add nothing to the truth ; be simple in your 
aim. 

5. Born poor, conceal it not; let none your 
riches see. 

6. The good you do, forget, but grateful al- 
ways be. 



I70 ADDENDUM. 

7. An independent spirit shun as a dangerous 
snare. 

8. Let every regulation be kept with zealous 
care. 

9. To those God places over you,[blindly obe- 
dient be. 

10. Hide nothing in your heart your mother 
may not see. 

11. Your many imperfections be glad that all 
should know. 

12. Abhor the world's opinion, and false shame 
never show. 

13. Be glad to find a critic, both truthful and 
severe. 

14. Whatever be the verdict, accept it as sincere. 

15. Rejoice to be reproved, e'en when you do 
your best. 

16. See that your slightest faults in public are 
confessed. 

17. Far from the eyes of all, act always quite 
the same. 

18. Speak little of yourself, either in praise or 
to blame. 

19. Successful in your labors, to God the glory 
give. 

20. Never distrust the " Master," for whom 
alone you live. 



ADDENDUM. 171 

21. Extraordinary favors, like St. J. Berchmans, 
fear. 

22. Devout in all your actions, do nothing to 
appear. 

23. Ever regard yourself as least and last of all. 

24. Think little of your talents, your misdeeds 
oft recall. 

25. Seek not to gain attention, but serve with 
humble grace. 

26. All honors to your Sisters, and gladly yield 
your place. 

27. Be truly kind and gentle, to each and every 
one, 

28. But wisely .guard your heart and be at- 
tached to none. 

29. Never allow suspicion to rest within your 
mind, 

30. For those who contradict you have feelings 
ever kind. 

31. Be glad another's merits should gain their 
praises due. 

32. Except, where called by duty, the hidden 
life for you. 

33. For others' faults and failings, find always 
an excuse; 

34. Ne'er speak of them in public, unless it be 
of use. 



172 ADDENDUM. 

35. To every low employment with willing 
footsteps go. 

36. Wear garments poor and humble, thankful 
to have them so. 

37. If pleasure be in question, let labor be your 
share. 

38. Assist the sick, and most gladly, another's 
burden bear. 

39. Your services in the kitchen, render with a 
joyful heart. 

40. Always believe another could better do 
your part. 

41. Accept those trying duties which others 
seem to dread. 

42. Unworthy you, the blessed state to which 
you have been led. 

43. Never a word of murmur, ready at each 
and every call, 

44. To place yourself the lowest, and at the 
feet of all. 

45. In fervor, and exactness, a Novice try to be ; 

46. If 'tis your lot to be despised, the justice 
of it see. 

47. Believe yourself unworthy to bear the light 
of day; 

48. If all look down upon you, a " Deo Gratias! " 
say. 



ADDENDUM, 1 73 

49. Should words of praise e'er reach you, 
smile at the strange mistake. 

50. " I'm prouder than a peacock /" This for your 
motto take. 

51. Pious, not worldly converse, is what you 
ought to hold. 

52. Thirst for humiliations, as misers do for 
gold. 

53. We are told by St. Ignatius to ask them 
from our Lord. 

54. Let come what may, His holy Will in all 
things be adored. 

FINALLY: 

Make of the heart of Jesus, an ever open book, 
From which a precious lesson you'll draw at every 

look. 
To you He leaves His mission, the treasures of 

His Heart ; 
Spouse of the lowly Jesus ! act generously your 

part. 
Oh ! prove your love by choosing the path He 

trod while here. 
Be humble, poor— a life of hardship never fear. 

(Anon.) 



174 ADDENDUM. 

LINES SUGGESTED 

WHILE ASSISTING THE 



ying "iq JJt. John's mospitol 



Many souls are departing, from their prison-house 
of clay; 

In Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus ! wash their sin- 
ful stains away. 

Youth and age alike are drifting, to the vast eter- 
nal shore ; 

Glazing eyes to Thee are turning, parching lips 
Thine aid implore. 

While around them evil spirits, their unholy trade 
are plying, 

Agonizing Heart of Jesus, have Thou mercy on 
the dying ! 

One lies here, the icy-death-drops glistening on 

his pallid brow ; 
Soon that young life must be yielded. Where 

seeks he comfort now ? 
See ! the trembling hands are clasping Thy loved 

image to his breast, 
Through these wounds he begs for mercy ; in that 

Heart he finds his rest. 



ADDENDUM. 1 75 

As he cries to Thee for pardon, on thy bound- 
less love relying, 

Agonizing Heart of Jesus, have Thou mercy on 
the dying ! 

Some, like him, await the moment that shall place 
them with the dead, 

Strengthened by the last anointing, nourished 
with the Living Bread ; 

But alas ! how many others, for whose weal no 
prayer ascends, 

Save the pleadings of their angels, still their best 
and truest friends. 

Hearken to the voiceless whisper of each Guardian- 
spirit sighing, 

Agonizing Heart of Jesus, have Thou mercy on? 
the dying ! 

Thousands, for whom Thou hast suffered, struggle 

in the pangs of death ; 
Grant them pardon, grace and mercy, ere they 

draw their parting breath. 
They, O Lord, were purchased dearly, for Thy 

very life they cost, 
And since Thou for all didst give it, why should 

even one be lost? 
O, forgive their past offences; hear the voice of 

anguish crying, 



K?6 ADDENDUM. 

Agonizing Heart of Jesus, have Thou mercy on 
the dying! 

There are sinners on their death-beds, who for 

years have slighted grace, 
Letting earth's deceitful pleasures, in their hearts 

usurp Thy place. 
Do not now, O Lord ! forsake them, undeserving 

tho' they be ; 
Grant them true, sincere contrition, make them 

turn once more to Thee. 
Souls whom Thou hast died to ransom, in the 

straits of death are lying, 
Agonizing Heart of Jesus, have Thou mercy on 

the dying ! 

Through Thy Mother's bitter sorrows, Lord most 

merciful, we pray ; 
Purify each soul departing, in Thy Precious Blood, 

this day. 
Send St. Michael to assist them, in their last 

decisive strife, 
And when death shall close the combat, grant to 

to them eternal life. 
Happy souls ! [now safe in Heaven, join with us 

on earth in crying, 
Agonizing Heart of Jesus, have Thou mercy on 

the dying! 

CONVENT OF MERCY, 

ST. LOUIS, MO. 



ADDENDUM. 



1 77 



PRAYER 



FOR THE 



bsePDCtrtce of ||oltj ){ule. 



Oy /TY God! I wish — I have resolved to keep my 
• holy Rule, which is Thine, since Thou gavest 
it to me, and therefore, I have placed it, not alone 
before my eyes to read it, but principally in my 
heart to esteem and love it ; not in some corner 
of my heart and carelessly, but in the center, that 
is to say, in the most important part, the dearest 
place, to testify that I make great account of it : 
nay, that I have for my Rules and Constitutions, 
extreme reverence and a perfect love. Amen. 

(Rev. J. B. Saint Jure y S.J.) 



I7§ ADDENDUM. 

Through gratitude for the grace of vocation, the 
Sisters kiss each article of the Religious dress, when 
about to resume\it, reciting the customary prayers, as 
follows : 

FOR THE HABIT. 

" Clothe my soul, O Lord, with the nuptial 
robe of charity, that pure and undefiled, I may 
carry it before Thy judgment seat." 

THE CINCTURE. 

" O Lord Jesus, who became obedient unto 
death, even the death of the Cross, grant me the 
true spirit of religious obedience. " 

THE BEADS AND CROSS. 

" O Mary, refuge of sinners, protect me ! Jesus, 
meek and humble of heart, teach me to deny 
myself, take up my cross, and follow Thee/' 

THE COIF. 

"Place Thyself, O Lord, as a seal upon my 
forehead, that I may be amongst those, who fol- 
low the Lamb." 

THE GUIMP. 

" Create a clean heart in me, O God, and 
renew a right spirit within me " 

THE VEIL. 

" Immaculate Mother ! place on my head the 
helmet of salvation : give me strength against my 



enemies." 



ADDENDUM. I79< 



ACT OF OBLATION AND CONSECRATION 

TO THE 

MOST BLESSED MOTHER OF GOD. 

* 

Qv/POST holy and glorious Virgin Mother of 
• God! we, thy humble suppliants, convinced 
of the need we have of the grace of God to ful- 
fil the duties of our holy Institute, and of the 
greatness of thy power with Jesus Christ, thy 
beloved Son, and of thy goodness to us, poor 
Christians, most fervently salute thee this day, as 
the Mother of Mercy, in full confidence of obtain- 
ing the Divine assistance through thy intercession. 
We, therefore, O most clement Virgin ! pros- 
trate at thy feet, most humbly beseech thee to 
vouchsafe graciously to accept the oblation, which 
on this holy day we all irrevocably make of our- 
selves to thy love and service, proposing with the 
Divine assistance, to bear always towards thee, the 
deepest respect and veneration, and to do all that 
we can to induce others to love, honor, and re- 
spect thee. Deign, O most pure and Immaculate 
Virgin, Mother of God ! to receive all and each- 



l8o ADDENDUM. 

of us under thy holy protection. We look on thee 
as our Mother, our Sovereign Lady, and our Mis- 
tress ; as our Patroness, Advocate, and Directress, 
humbly entreating thee to obtain, through the 
merits of thy adorable Son, the pardon of all our 
sins and offences against the Divine Majesty, and 
of all our negligence in thy holy service. We 
beseech thee also, to obtain of His infinite good- 
ness, that we may always and on all occasions be 
favored with thy assistance, especially in the 
arduous duties of our Institute, and in the prac- 
tise of every religious virtue. 

Finally, we earnestly implore thee to vouchsafe 
to obtain that a perfect union of heart and mind, 
may ever reign amongst us; that we may be 
always faithful in the observance of our Rule, and 
in the grace of our vocation ; and that having 
faithfully served thy Divine Son, by the imitation 
of thy virtues on earth, we may with thee, and 
with all the elect, praise Him and bless Him 
forever in heaven. Amen. 

Chapter XI IL, Holy Rule. 



ADDENDUM. l8s 



MOTHER ffl. KATHARINE MgAULEY, 

FOUNDRESS OF 

The Order of Mercy, 

(\\HAS born on the 29th of September, 1787, com- 
menced the establishment of the Institute 
with the permission of His Holiness Pius VIII., on 
the Feast of bur Lady of Mercy, September 24th,, 
1827, and made her Religious Profession Decem- 
ber 1 2th, 1 83 1, in a Convent of the Presentation 
Order, George's Hill, Dublin, where she had passed 
her 1 Novitiate. The Order received the approval of 
His Holiness Gregory XVI., on the 3d of May,. 
1835, and the Rule and Constitutions were sol- 
emnly confirmed by the same Pontiff, on the 6th 
of June, 1 841. The first House of the Order was 
St. Catharine's, in the City of Dublin, Ireland. 

Rev. Mother McAuley died on the nth of 
November, 1841, after having founded fourteen 
Convents of the Order. 



182 ADDENDUM. 



PATRON SAINTS 



OF THE 



Sisters of Mercy. 
— * — 

fS\UR Lady of Mercy, St. Joseph, St. Anne, St. 
Joachim, the Holy Apostles Saints Peter and 
Paul, St. John the Evangelist, St. Patrick, St. 
Bridget, St. Augustine, St. Monica, St. Peter 
Nolasco, St. Vincent of Paul, St. John of God, 
St. Camillus of Lellus, St. Joseph Calasanctius, 
St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. 
Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Angela Merici, St. Cathar- 
ine of Sienna, and St. Catharine of Genoa. 

Holy Rule, Chap. XIII. 



ADDENDUM. 1 83 



I^AYEI^ FOI^ THE Ol^DB^ 



/q\ GOD ! Who, under the protection of the glo- 
rious Mother of Thy Son, wast pleased that the 
Order of Mercy should be instituted in Thy 
Church for the relief of the suffering and the instruc- 
tion of the ignorant, vouchsafe so to strengthen 
and enlighten those to whom Thou has granted 
this holy vocation, that they may faithfully and 
efficaciously dispense Thy mercies on earth, and 
thereby come to the enjoyment of Thy divine 
presence in heaven; through Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. Amen. 




